Page 4-Wednesday, February 28, 1979-The Michigan Daily
The impossible dream: A union for the students
It had been one of those long,
frustrating days, and I wasn't quite
ready for my friend J. P. Trustbuster
as' he bounded up to rye when I left
MacDonald's. Not that I don't like J.P.,
but he is a little different. After all, how
many of your friends have taken nine
years to get through three years in the
Residential College?
"Hey, Ron old buddy old pal, what's
the problem? You look like the
Supreme Court just repealed the First
Amendment." That was J.P.-always
looking at the bright side of lif:e.
"NO, IT'S nothing that drastic. I'm
just getting sick of the way students on
this campus are always getting the
shaft. I mean, well, did you take a look
at today's paper?"
"No, the dog got to it first."
"Anyway, the dorms are over-
crowded, there's no decent housing
available outside the dorms, tuition is
up, and, oh, I don't know, it's all pretty
irritating." I felt like kicking the
Student Activities Building as we
walked by, but J.P. grabbed my arm.,
'AW, COME ON, it's not going to do
yo'u any good to just talk about it. I've
figured out how to get back at the
University once and for all." He
chuckled like some mad doctor on a
Channel 56 late movie.
I was more than a little skeptical. The
last time he had an idea like that he
served six months for trying to steal the
cube in Regent's Plaza.
"All we have to do is organize the
students like GEO, AFSCME, HOA,
OCC, or the IWW. A student's union,
you know," he said, his dilated pupils
gleaming with delight. "We're all get-
ting the royal ream here, and we need
an organized competent group to fight
for our rights."
I THOUGHT he was hallucinating.
"Why start a new group? MSA is our
elected representative body." I figured
this would stop his babblings.
"Ron, there's a lot of difference bet-
ween being elected and being com-
petent. Take the Carter administration,
for example, or-"
"-or MSA, right? Okay, you win on
that one. But how are you going to
organize? The University hates unions,
and after all the flak groups like GEO
and OCC have gotten, why do you think
you'll have it any easier?".
J.P. PUT ON a pair of sunglasses and
turned up his collar. "Cause we're
going to do it on the sly, that's why."
"On the sly?!? Oh, come on, J.P.,
now I know you're high. How do you
organize 35,000 students on the sly? Fir-
st, you'll need a big area in which to
hold the election, and then you'll have
to get it certified."
"I've got it all figured out," he told
me as we walked across the Diag.
By Ron Gifford
"We're going to do it right here on April inlaid 'M'.
."
I WAS AFRAID the drugs had finally
"HERE? On Apr-the Hash Bash?" taken effect. "UMSTUDS? What in hell
"Yes, it's all planned. Every police is that?"
car around the Diag will have a voting "University of Michigan Students, if
"Oh, the possibilities are endless.
We could finally demand decent
housing, better representation in.
University decisions, and things like
that."
have a contract probably hasn't oc-
crossed his mind, I thought. "We make
our demands, and then the students will
finally have a voice on this campus."
With that, he broke out in an off-key
version of "We Shall oversome."
"J.P., will you shut up? People are
starting to stare. What would you
demand, anyway?" I could hardly wait
for his answer.
"Well, for one thing, lower football
ticket prices and better seats in the
stadium," J.P. said as he dropped back
to pass.
"ALL RIGHT, Rick Leach, what hap-
pens if Don Canham refuses to listen to
your demnds?" I've got all his
receivers covered with that question, I
thought.
He stepped out of the pocket and
pulled a dirty "ON STRIKE" placard
from his knapsack. "We would refuse to
but the tickets and then go picket the
stadium," he said, as an imaginary
Ohio State linebacker dropped him for a
loss. "What do you think old Canham
would do about that?"
I helped him back on his feet. "He'd
probably sell the tickets for twice the
price to crazed alumni, make lots of
money, and then laugh at us from his
little booth in the press box. He's a
ruthless man, you know."
"WELL, A minor detail. Maybe we'd
just teardown the goalposts every
week, to protest the prices., That way
the Ann Arbor police could get into the
act, too, bashing in people's heads and
stuff. I don't know, the strategy will
have to be worked out."
"What else could you do?" I was get-
ting more interested.
"Oh, the possibilities are endless. We
could finally demand decent housing,
better representation in Univerity
decisions, and things like that. After'all,
if 35,000 people quit paying their tuition
as a protest, I think the Regents would
have to listen to what they were saying.
"That's power in numbers," I told
him as we walked through the West
Engineering arch.
"Oh, right. Well, Ron, I've got to run.
Just think about what I said, okay.
Maybe you'll want to join the fight with
us." He grinned, help up a clenched fist,
and turned down South University.
A student union, I thought. I wonder if
it would work? For all of his zaniness,
maybe for once J-.P. had a good idea.
What if the students did organize into a
union? Maybe the Regents would listen
to them and just maybe the students on
this campus would have a voice in their
own affairs. Is it just possible that after
all these years of mistreatment, the
student body would finally be respected
by the administration?
Na-a-a-a-w, I must be high.
Night Editor Ron Gifford covers
Labor for the'Daily.
booth in it. That way, when they bust
you for possession, you can also vote
and the cops can certify the election."
"Well, good, for those people who go.
What about the students here who don't
get high?" I asked.
"Oh, I figure me and some of the
other organizers can personally sign up
those ten or twenty -eople. And then
UMSTUDS will be official!" J.P.
jubiliantly shouted as he stood on the
you couldn't guess," he
disgustedly. "Initials are the big
now, you know."
"Okay, okay, I'm going to go a
with your little game, J.P.I
assume you do organize the ,u
What then?"
said
thing
along
Let 's
nion.
"WE'LL GO into collective
bargaining to negotiate 'a new con-
tract." The fact that we don't presently
01be Air igan :43aiIg
420 Mbynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Eightv-Nine Years of Editorial Freedom
Vol. LXXXIX, No. 125
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Balancedbudget unhealthy
for American economy
T HE NATION'S rising rate of in-
flation which is closing in on
double figures has prompted a nation-
wide effort to require the federal
government to balance the budget. The
drive, spearheaded by California
dovernor Jerry Brown, and other
fjscal conservatives, signals a
dangerous movement which, if passed,
Would freeze the federal government
from amounting a budget deficit.
This is not the answer to curing the
ntion's inflation woes. It may trigger
a. severe recession and put the nation
idto even greater economic peril. A
c'utback in expenditures would
inevitably result, forcing numerous
layoffs and a rising unemployment
rpite.
: Brown is calling for a constitutional
amendment requiring a balanced
federal budget. Since he voiced sup=
port for the proposal in his second
inaugural address Jan. 8, three ad-
ditional states-North Carolina,
Arkansas and South Dakota have
passed resolutions calling for enac-
tment of the budget-balancing amen-
dment. Under the Constitution, a con-
vention must be held if 34 states
petition for it. Although this scenario
seems unlikely, the amendment's sup-
porters predict Congress will open
discussion on it if many states appear
sympathetic to it.
Brown and other frugal legislators
claim a balanced budget is required to
combat declining worker productivity,
erosion of the dollar and increasing
dependence on decisions of foreign
bankers and oil producers. And he in-
sists that an economic downturn is
inevitable unless the United States puts
it economic house in order by "strict
discipline."
The California governor is right
when he says the country's economic
house is in chaos but it is this condition
which would provide the main stum-
bling block in a future government
required to balance the budget.
For instance, what would happen if
the economy hits an upswing for the
next few years but suddenly hits bot-
tom by the end of the next decade? The
budget would be balanced, so where
will the extra needed funds come
from? Brown and other proponents of
the balanced budget say that
emergency reserves needed for
national defense requirements, and
funds to beef up an economic downturn
would be provided for in the amen-
dment.
But how would the government
decide to implement emergency
measures and in what circumstances?
Simply, the balanced budget amen-
dment would just make .the federal
budget too inflexible and strip the.
government of an essential power to
deal with any future economic
problems.
Coach Johnny Orr called his
team's play in last Saturday's
defeat by Purdue "absolutely
disgusting;" it is his remarks,
however, that are repugnant.
Coach Orr's harrangue of three
senior players - Alan Hardy,
Phil Hubbard, and Tom Staton -
is an unsuccessful attempt to hide
the most noticeable flaw of the
ball club, poor coaching. Despite
a fair amount of talent, the team
has fallen into the very traps a
quality junior high school team
avoids.
AT THE beginning of the
season, both polls predicted
Michigan to finish among the top'
ten teams in the nation. Now,
with three games to go, Michigan
is seventh in the Big Ten with a 7-
9 record. Overall, the Wolverines
have won just two more games
than they have lost.
The reason for the dramatic
turnaround is fundamentals: how
many times have the Wolverines
been called for travelling? How
often do the -layers neglect to box
out when fighting for a rebound?
Why can't Michigan players
learn to folow their shots instead
of standing around as the ball
bounces off the rim?
The most stunning example of
this lack of fundamentals oc-
curred during the second"
Michigan State game. During the
first half, Michigan turned the
ball over more times than it took
shots at the hoop. A well coached
team with so much talent should
never amount such a record.
ORR CHARGED after the Pur-
due game that his three seniors
were playing "in-
dividualistically." Those players,
however, were not playing
selfishly: They simple forgot the
basics.
Orr deserves
blame for
bad playing
By Dan Oberdorfer and Jon Eager
If Orr can't get Phil Hubbard to
play smart ball, who can he
coach? Certainly not Alai Hardy
who still makes the same sort o
mistakes he made as a fresh-
man-though less frequently.,
Orr's criticism missed the
point. It is not that Michigan is
not playing team ball; it is that
the cagers are playing bad team
ball.
ORR SAID that Staton and
Hardy were playing for them-
selves. The record shows,
however, that against Purdue
they played a combined 48
minutes of ball, took a mere 13
shots, and sunk six of them.
Statistics do not tell the whole
story, but in this case, the stats
seem'to indicatesan unfairness in
Orr's criticism.
It is ironic that Orr would ac-
cuse Station of not being a team
player. In his four years here, co-
captain Staton has sacrificed
personal glory on offense, con-
centrating his energies on defen-
se. And, since returning to the
lineup after a short bout with
bronchitiseearly this season,
Staton has begun to contribute
more and more offensively; he
has finally developed a somewhat
accurate jumpshot.
Orr's remarks against Hub-
bard were also out of place. Hob-
bled by a knee injury all last
season, Hubbard returned to, ac-
tion this year under tremendous
amounts of mentalhpressure.
Moreover, he still hasn't fully
recovered; Hubbard is perhaps
half a step slower than he was.
UNDER THE circumstances,
Hubbard should be encouraged,
not lambasted. The 6'7" center is
making a courageous comeback.
Why wait till their last home
game to lash out against Hardy
and Staton? A senior's final game
should not be turned into a
public humiliation by his
coach-especially under these
circumstances.
Though the players deserve to
share responsibility for the
season-they should not be used
by Orr as the outlet for his
frustration-especially because
Orr's coaching has been anything
but flawless.
TAKE HIS questionable use of
time outs, for example. Does the
team have to go from a two point
lead to a 12 point deficit in a ten
'minute span before Orr and
Assistant Coach Bill Frieder
detect a subtle change in momen-
tum and call a time out? That's
what happened versus Ohio State
this January. It is only because
of two official time outs during
that period that Orr met with his,
team at all.
Orr should take a lesson in good
behavior from his players. When
asked to respond to Orr's charac-
ter assassination of him, Staton
refused comment. He said he
subscribes to the unwritten rule
that players do not criticize
coaches publicly, and vice-versa.
Staton and Hardy said they
would not hold a grudge against
Orr because of his comments. It
remains to be seen if Orr can
forget his rageandetreat his
players with 'the respect due
them.
Orr's unfortunate remarks do
nothing for his character.
Moreover, they will serve only to
hurt the team. How can Orr ex-
pect to recruit class players to
Michigan if those players fear
public humiliation by the coach?
Seniors Dan Oberdorfer and
Jon Eager sit together during
basketball garnes.
Letters to the Daily
A mayor for housing
To the Daily:
The Coalition for Better
Housing appreciates the
coverage given by the Daily to
the "uncandidacy" of Louise J.
Fairperson for mayor. A couple
of points in the article dealing
with Ms. Fairperson's platform
may have left some room open
for misinterpretation. We would
like to clarify these issues.
The first was the proposal for a
Just Cause for Eviction ordinan-
ce. Currently, landlords have the
right to evict tenants for any
reason other than discrimination
or retaliation.
There is no protection for a
tenant from' end-of-the-lease
evictions by landlords on other
often unsubstantiated arbitrary
grounds, such as lifestyle, frien-
ds, or living arrangements
among people. A just Cause for
Eviction law would state
precisely those grounds for which
a person could be evicted, such as
unwarranted non-payment of
rent, failure of a tenant to correct
a lease violation after being given
landlord's profits. In fact, the tax
would apply only to the profit a
landlord makes from the sp-
preciation gained on a property
between the time that the proper-
ty is bought and sold. This is just
one of several forms of profit that
a landlord makes.
McKinley Associates, a major
landlord and management com-
pany here, has said that they buy
buildings and hold onto them for
just three to five years on the
average before selling them. The
price of buildings can double in
four to five years in Ann Arbor, so
that a huge profit is created by
this buying and selling of
buildings. An anti-speculation tax
would break the cycle that per-
petually skyrockets the cost of
rental property. The tax would be
graduated to encourage landlor-
ds to hold onto their properties
for longer periods of time, and
the revenues would be ear-
marked for new housing con-
struction or restoration of
existing housing. The tax would
not apply to owner-occupied
son's "uncandidacy" campaign,
however, we plan to discuss
housing issues throughout the
mayor's race.
-Dan Ruben and
Pat Theiler, Coalition
for Better Housing
Major Events
To the Daily:
With only eight weeks left in
this term and no Major Events
scheduled after last week's
"minor" Major Event Al
Jarreau, one has to ask: just
what the hell is going on over at
the Office of Major Events??
During the previous three ter-
ms we've been entertained by the
likes of Linda Ronstadt, Billy
Joel (twice!), Jackson Browne,
Earth, Wind and Fire, Steve
Miller, Chicago, Bob Seger and
the Beach Boys while this term
has only produced but one Major
Event (if Harry Chapin can be
considereda Major Event !).
after cancelling a scheduled Ann
Arbor appearance last November
has now opted to perform
elsewhere! Why can't acts of this
caliber be lured -to the Ann Arbor
area?
Now some might try to defend
the Office of Major Events by
claiming that the residents of this
area are not willing to pay the
prices demanded by these artists.
This is hardly believable . . . or
true. The students of Ann Arbor
will gladly pay competitive
prices for ANY "MAJOR"
EVENT.
We are tired of the endless list
of trite excuses being dished out
by the OME. Either they should
live up to their name and get into
the big league, or change it.
Perhaps a more appropriate title
would be the Office of MINOR
Events or the Ann Arbor Farm
Club.
-Tony Mattar
-Will Rubino
- O
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