Page 4-Tuesday, January 30, 1979--The Michigan Paily I Ehe ichian BatilR 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Eighty-Nine Years of Editorial Freedom - j The state of the Department Vol. LXXXIX, No. 100 Samoff Student Support Committee News Phone: 764-0552 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan A Reach One-Keep one N FEBRUARY of 1970 the Black Action Movement (BAM) lead a successful boycott of University classes. At one point in the two-week long incident more than fifty per cent of all LSA students avoided classes. The strike showed strong campus sup- port for BAM demands - ten per cent black enrollment. Since ten per cent black enrollment could not be achieved over night, BAM and the administration reached a compromise. Then University President Robben Fleming promises that the University would work toward ten per cent black enrollment by 1973. Scholarship funds to fuel this goal have been available since 1973, but black enrollment over the past eight years has never been higher than 7.2 per cent. Last year the figure dropped to 6.6 per cent. The University ad- ministration announced last week it would take new steps to make good the first promise to BAM. the ad- ministration launched the "Each one - reach one" campaign. The intention behind the campaign is good. The admissions office wants to make the recruitment process more personal by asking blacks attending the University to help contact prospec- tive black students. The Admissions of- fice sent letters to more than 3,000 black students which ask for names of friends and relatives who might need some encouragement to attend the University. Each one - Reach One is an in- novative idea. We hope it is as suc- cessful as Admissions officials think it will be. But the administration must realize that this program is not enough. It must be backed with a much more aggressive black recruitment drive. And no matter how much atten- tion is given to prospective black students, they will not come unless this campus and school is made more at- tractive to them. That means providing more black faculty mem- bers, more black administrators, and perhaps most important, more special counseling to keep. them here. It is dif- ficult to understand how admissions of- ficers can expect a huge response to the Each One - Reach One campaign when so many blacks here are con- sidering leaving. The administration has not yet shown enough concern for the growing problem of high black student attrition. A serious study of this problem is much needed. Eachone - Reach one is, like most University programs aimed at benefiting students, too little, too late. But at least it is a step, although small, in the right direction. We hope the ad- ministration will begin assuming full responsibility in this area. At first glance, the vote of the tenured faculty in the Political Science Department to reject the recommendation of the department's own executive committee to promote and tenure Assistant Professor Joel Samoff seems confusing. After all, there is no dispute over the high quality of his teaching or his community and University service, and his research is at the forefront of an emerging field within political science, political economy. According to national sureveys (Roose-Anderson, 1969; Ladd- Lipset, 1977 the department is highly ranked and respected. Without question the prominence of several senior faculty mem- bers has afforded it the reputation necessary to remain in the hierarchy. Even so, major problems have arisen in at least two areas-student recruitment and scope. Over the past year, both the Graduate and Undergraduate Political Science Associtions' hve met with and written letters to department, college, and Univer- sity officials regarding the lack of diversification in the methods and courses offered by the depar- tment. Unfortunately, the efforts have availed little in the way of change. A review of the clases scheduled for the 78-79 academic year show few or no courses on current political theory, or philosophy and epistimology of social science. In addition, the only factulty member actively doing research in and teaching courses on political economy and South Africa has been fired. Oddly enough, students do not stand alone in their criticisms of the department's narrow scope. Some faculty members critical of the narrow orientation have not only voiced their dissatisfactions and concerns, but have pointed out the fact that the excluded courses and approaches are precisely those branches of political science likely to be critical of the research methods used by most of-the faculty in the department. Perhaps it is time to recognize Samoff's firing for what it is. At the Political Science depar- tment's November faculty meeting the director of graduate admissions and financial aid presented a report on 78 Fall ad- missions which clearly showed a substantial decrease in the num- ber and proportion of graduate applicants accepted in political The University of Michigan Department of Political Science . O x Tt A ficient number of graduate students? This is not an easy. question and the findings miy be. perplex. However, as students we are aware of a number of factors which interact to enhance the broad spectrum of skills and in- telligence required to excell in research 'and scholarship and thus have an alluring quality. They include quality teaching, dissertation advisement, ands counseling. To provide them requires a heavy commitment of time and: effort, along with talent. For teaching is an art as well as a, profession. In essence, Political Science Prof. Joel Samoff has delivered On all three. Thus the decision last Fall to oust him not' only points out the failure of the. department to recognize ex- cellence in teaching as an asset or pertinent part of tenure and' promotion evaluations, but more importantly it made clear to junior faculty members that they are not in an educational arena in which certain approaches and methods will be emphasized, but one in which few will be "Taught" or tolerated if they hve hopes of being tenured. This state of affairs can only result in fewer commitments to excellence in teaching and innovation. It is ironic that in Samoff's first year, a collague was granted tenure almost entirely on the strength of his teaching record,-! while now, a teaching record at least as strong seems not to count at all. We call on department officials and faculty members to address these problems and redress, the grievances and not simply dismiss them as aberrations. To do so will only preldicate a set of depreciating conditions in what could be one of the most vital departments in the country, as.. opposed to one struggling to at-," tract students. The isolated A T THE MOMENT the University expanded its facilities and created North Campus a problem arose-isolation. Students living on North Campus have always been con- fronted with the problem of distance from Central Campus and its much needed services and social life the area provides. The University's answer to the problem was free transportation via bus, from North to Central Campus. The bus service is a lifeline for North Campus residents. It, however, has caused problems too. North Campus residents are forced to mold their lives around a bus schedule. Classes, ap- pointments, and study time at the libraries must be arranged according to when the bus leaves. That is a hassle; but a hassle which can be han- dled, provided the bus is running. Bus service currently stops at 12:30 a.m. Central Campus activities do not. The Undergraduate Library, for example, is open every night, except Saturday, until 2:00 a.m. The Michigan Student Assembly formed a special committee on North Campus transportation. This commit- tee is nowurging the administration to extend the bus service hours. We sup- port the committee's effort. It would seem that if students want to study until 2:00 a.m. they should be able to do so. This should also apply to any activity in which students may engage. By no means does socializing in Ann Arbor stop at 12:30 a.m. Bars do not close until 2:00 a.m. and parties of- ten start about 11:00 p.m. There is evidence which shows that extended bus service would be ap- precited by North Campus residents. During a month long experiment the buses ran until 2:00 a.m. More than 2000 persons took advantage of the ex- tended hours. The Assembly's special committee will meet with interim president Allan Smith today. We hope Mr. Smith can allocate funds to permanently extend bus service hours. Regardless of the motivation behind the narrowing of scope and the firing, students are on the losing end. Our education is being improvished. In an institution as highly ranked as the University of Michigan this is an inexcusable and intolerable state of circum- stances for students to find them- selves in, and we hasten to add, fewer are. science. Whereas the department desired a class size of 30-35, only 22 students entered. The rate of acceptance marked an eight year low, only 20 per cent of those ad- mitted came. Why is the largest and one of the most prominent departments of political science in the nation finding it difficult to attract a suf- Letters The Hyde Amendment impinges First Amendment right Nelson Rockefeller FORMER VICE President Nelson Rockefeller, who died from a heart attack last Friday night, was not particularly noted for his reserve and philosophical judgment. He was an ac- tive man who said what he thought. As a result, sometimes there were good consequences and sometimes bad. But everyone always knew where Mr. Rockefeller stood. His list of accomplishments is as long as his list of failures. But in his case, whether it was success or failure, nothing was small. There was something of an element of noblesse oblige in his dedication to public life. Although many of his critics argued that was his problem. For example, despite his knowledge of finance, someone had to explain "take-home pay" to the multimillionaire during his first election campaign. After hearing of Mr. Rockefeller's death Henry Kissinger said that Mr. Rockefeller was the greatest American he ever met. That point can be debated. But we can all agree that Nelson Rockefeller was instrumental in making this country what it is today. To the Daily: Several nationally syndicated columnists including George Will and William Buckley have recen- tly criticized the ACLU for arguing that the Hyde Amen- dment violates the First Amen- dment right to religious freedom. The Hyde Amendment is a federal law that prohibits federal medicaid reimbursement for all but a few abortions. Except for abortions, medicaid pays for all medically necessary physician's services and prohibits exclusion based on diagnosis. Why then has abortionbeen singled out? Why was the Hyde Amendment passed? Certainly, the Hyde Amend- ment was not passed in response to the need to reducethe cost of the medicaid program, or for health reasons, or for any other secular purpose. The Hyde Amendment was passed in response to those who believe that human life begins at the moment of conception, and that from that moment on, such life is separate from the mother's life. To those who hold that belief, any fetus-one minute old, one day old, one month old-is in- distinguishable from. an infant, and therefore abortion is murder. Those who hold this belief oppose abortion itself, and certainly do not want their taxes used to sup- port it. That is understandable, from their point of view. But when human life begins is essentially a religious question. There is not scientific consensus on this question and there is no religious consensus. The current political controversy over abor- tion is fundamentlaly a con- troversy overy religious doctrine, and that's where the First Amen- dment comes in. becomes a human life-is similarly a religious question. Freedom of choice should reign. Yet the Hyde Amendment does what the First Amendment prohibits. It elevates one religious belief by law upon everyone else. Those who oppose abortion on religioussgrounds claim that their religious freedom is being violated because their taxes are being used to pay for medicaid abortions-which they regard as murder. But conscientious objec- tors to war have in the past objec- ted to killing on religious grounds and they have not been exempt from paying taxes. They have, however, enjoyed freedom of choice and were not forced to violate their own religious beliefs by participating in what they regarded as murder. Similarly, those who oppose abortion cannot escape paying taxes. They are free to choose not to participate in abortions, either as patients, doctors or nurses. And they are free to persuade others to join them. They are free to lobby Congress. But Congress is not free to force their religious view through law on the rest of us. That is why we have asked the federal courts, on First Amen- dment grounds among others, to Ashe-stick to tennis To the Daily: Arthur Ashe's remarks (Mich- igan Daily, Jan. 16, 1979) on behalf of Aetna Life and Casualty reiterate the stand taken by U.S. corporations including the U. of M. The essence of this stand exemplified by the Sullivan prin- ciples isy that racist discrimination is the problem in southern Africa and that through corporate "affirmative action" integrating blacks into the existing political and economic system things will be fine, just as they are here in the U.S. The black majority of southern Africa is oppressed and exploited by the white minority but the problem does. not rest with the color of the people in power. The conflict stems from the fact that a small number of colonialists have, with the aid of transntional corporations created an economic and political system based on cheap labor, easy ac- cess to natural resources, and super privileges for the ruling similar results. Is it necessary to remind people of U.S. corporate roles in Chile, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Iran, Vietnam, etc.? The issue is not what percen- tage of a particular minority oc- curs in government but rather whether the majority in a nation has the power of economic, social and political self-determination. Mr. Ashe, Aetna, G.M., the U. of M. among others must feel very generous offering the people of southern Africa a choice bet- ween "Three meals a day or the right to vote." A black South African trade unionist, speaking 'at the U. of M. spoke of a different choice. He said, "Which would you prefer, three full meals in prison, or one meal in your home with your family?". Mr. Ashe does not recognize the problem, if he did it might inter- fer with his ability to collect his salary. Ashe's view of the U.S. is similarly distored. To say that business "built the U. of M., will f(non the nnnr aond nfnvc fnr strike down the Hyde Amen- dment. It was in part to prevent such bitter religious divisiveness, which has plagued other coun- tries for centuries, that the First Amendment was adopted. It has served us well for nearly two hundred years. Protected by the First Amendment, we have en- joyed more religious freedom and diversity than any other country. We dare not shrink from that protection now. -Howard L. Simon,, Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan A telegram to Carter To the Daily: The following telegram was sent to President Carter. We urge Daily readers concerned about Iran to send telegrams or letters to the President calling on our government not to intevene. President Carter: The Iranian people are struggling to establish' a democratic government under Khomeini's leadership. We op- pose our government's interven- tion in maintaining the un- popular, repressive Bakhtiar regime. We must stop sending oil and our tax dollars to the Iranian military. The presence of U.S. naval for- ces in the area is a direct threat to peace and democracy. It reminds us of the early days of the Vietnam war.