RACKHAM REFERENDUM ISSUES See Editorial Page Y t 43&U :4Ia149 ( ARCTIC' High -10 Low '- -20 Still extremely cold, beware of frostbite Vol. LXXXII, No. 81 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Sunday, January 16, 1972 Ten Cents Ten Pages State's new adult Effects of Age of Majority measure may be lessened because of conflicting statutes By ROBERT SCHREINER With the state's new Age of Majority Act now two weeks old, 18- to 20-year olds know they can purchase liquor-but the realization of many other opportunities open to them remains much less cer- tain. While it is quite possible for an 18-20 year-old to be elected to City Council sit on the local draft board, or finance payments on a house or car, it remains to be seen just when the letter of the law 4 will be turned into action. It is still too early to tell whether the "new adults" will make any substantive inroads in the governmental system. Conflicting statutes and lack of experience combine to make those in authority seem wary of providing 18-to-20 year olds with the chance to exercise their new rights. The Age of Majority Act of 1971-Public Act No. 79--effectively supercedes all provisions of law concerning 18-to-20 year olds which are different from those dealing with persons over 21. "Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary", the act states, "a person who is 18 years of age but less than 21 years of age when this act takes effect, and a person who attains 18 years of age thereafter, is deemed to be an adult of legal age for all purposes whatsoever and shall have the same duties, liabilities, responsibilities, rights and legal capacity as persons heretofore acquired at 21 years of age." Thus, in the areas of governmental bureaucracy. the "new" adult is as eligible as someone over 21 to become a policeman, a notary public, a licensed nursing home administrator, or a public schoolbus driver. The possibilities extend further, from applying for admission to the state bar, or sitting on the state liquor control commission, to performing jury duty and testifying in court on a criminal offense. In regard to jury duty, young people will be as eligible to serve as anyone else-but not until May. Virginia Nickell, Washtenaw County Jury Clerk, See CONFLICTING, Page 10 ace unc Low credit status may plague youth By PAT BAUER Although 18 to 20 year olds are now allowed to independently control and manage their business affairs, it appears that the new adults will be less than warmly welcomed into the business world. According to a number of Ann Arbor merchants, 18 to 20 year olds will run into a lot of problems when they first enter business contracts, simply be- cause of their youth status. Don Swanson, manager at Howard Cooper Volks- kvagen says it's "next to impossible for an 18- to 21- year old to finance a car," even though they are now legally empowered to do so. "They have no estab- lished credit," he says. And that's the way it seems to be working all the way around. Because people in this age group-especially stu- dents-are not likely to have established credit ratings, regular incomes, or permanent residences, it is difficult for them to make routine business trans- See LACK, Page 10 Young drinkers crowd city bars By BILL PRITULA Perhaps the most controversial provision in the new Age of Majority Bill-the one which allows 18 to 20 year olds to drink and purchase liquor-was re- lieved of that controversy on Jan. 1. According to local bartenders and bar owners, the first two weeks of the new year have passed quietly, with no problems or incidents. "They fit in real well," stated one barmaid. "In fact, I thought the young people acted better than most adults." Area law enforcement agencies have reported no problems with young drinkers thus far during the new year. For most young people, it certainly was not their first time in the bars. "It's about time they made it legal," said 20-year-old Lou Weir as he sipped a beer at a local bar. Another youth sitting nearby drinking rum and Coke added, "It's a lot less hassle now that I can use my real I.D." See YOUTH, Page 10 rtain opportunities A YOUTHFUL DRINKER enjoys this new privi- lege . . . others are less clear. Madison hit with mass drug arrest By TAMMY JACOBS and GREG DOUKAS At least 64 persons were arrested in Madison, Wisc., yesterday on drug charges stemming from 81 indictments brought by a state grand jury, and arrests were expected to continue today. The arrests, made by Madison city and Dane County police, took place throughout Madison and the surrounding towns, includ- ing several arrests in University of Wiscon- sin fraternities and at least two arrests in University dorms. The grand jury, which has been meeting since December, was headed by Circuit Court Judge Norris Maloney, who said that the 81 indictments were the most he had ever seen levied by a grand jury. Dane County Dist. Atty. Gerald Nichol said the arrests were mostly for such things as heroin, acid and - other "hard" drugs, and that they were mostly for sale of narcotics. However, Holly Lassee of the Madison Defense League, a community organization that gives legal advice, said that there were + also some arrests for possession of mari- juana. In one dorm room, it was reported, the police found about half a dozen sticks of dynamite, and police also picked up -,ome guns during some of the arrests. Nichol told local newsmen that there was $50,000 street value worth of illegal drugs confiscated in the raids. Police last night refused to comment, and campus police said although they "cooper- ated" with city police, they were not in- volved directly in the arrests. According to John Wallman, associate editor of the Wisconsin Daily Cardinal, about 20 of the 64 people were not listed in the indictments but were picked up and charged during the sweep of those indicted. This would indicate that there were at least 40 indictments still outstanding last night. Both the Madison Defense League and the People's Office, a hotline run mostly by University of Wisconsin students, had infor- mation that 80 or more additional arrests were expected. Some 42 of those arrested were arraigned yesterday afternoon, and. most of those are now out on bail. Conflicting reports had most bails set at between $1,000 and $2,500 but Lassee cited one instance of $10,000 bail that the Defense League had heard of. The People's Office representative said "this is the biggest drug bust in the state's history." Rumors that "a big bust' was coming this weekend had run around ,campus during the last few weeks, but had been mostly ignored, Lassee said. "Those kind of rumors happen about once every three months around here anyway. Whites leave nation's eities WASHINGTON A') - New government figures indicate school desegregation in many big cities this year was accompanied by white flight to the suburbs or private schools. According to a recently-released U.S. Of- fice for Civil Rights survey of 76 big-city school districts, most of the cities which show dramatic desegregation gains are act- ACCEPTANCE SOUGHT PESC dispute By DANIEL JACOBS - and ALAN LENHOFF unresolved Daily News Analysis In the past, University officials have accepted certain responsibilities for provid- ing aid and services to those members of society who lack either the wealth or certain qualifications for attendance at the Uni- versity. A number of solutions have been since instituted: Enrollment quotas, scholarships, extension programs, recruiting, and the like. But now, a group calling itself the Pro- gram for Educational and Social Change (PESC) has challenged the validity of these traditional solutions and has proposed some innovative alternatives for an "open uni- versity." Established by a group of professors, teaching fellows, students and members of the Ann Arbor community, PESC has opened an assortment of regular University courses, as well as two original courses, to the gen- eral public for free auditing this semester. The result has been a conflict between the old and the new. Allan Smith, vice president for academic affairs, released a statement Thursday which advised PESC that such free auditing would be in conflict with established University policy. The normal fee for a non-enrolled student to audit a University course is $30 per credit hour for Michigan residents, and $95 for non-residents. PESC, however, has decided to continue its program despite Smith's statement-an unusual act of defiance against a top Uni- versity official. In their official publication, the members of PESC declare that they have initiated their program "because we are teachers, learners, scholars, intellectuals, radicals, brothers and sisters in a communal en- deavor to change the way we teach and learn and live." Many PESC courses emphasize independent study and offer a variety of means for University students to incorporate them credit-wise. Not all of the instructors of PESC Loutses are University professors. John Sinclair, for instance, will direct a course called "Com- munity Control of Prisons," and Charles Thomas and Hank Bryant of the Black Eco- nomic Development League will instruct an exploration of the social and political make- up of Washtenaw County. Students desiring academic credit for these courses may elect them as "independent reading" courses under the direction of a PESC professor. PESC members dismiss recent objec- tions to the validity of the Thomas and See PESC, Page 6 . Daily-Jim Judkis Nose frost When the temperature drops below zero and stays there, the campus' chilling winds are good reason to stay at home. These frozen figures will know better next time. COMMUNIT Y WEEK Sinclair poetry eading to begin fund.rIsiig actions Bombing run A ground crewman makes an adjustment to a rocket before installing it in a bomber making raids on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. The bomber will take off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea off the coast of Vietnam. (See story, Page 3). IRS COMPLAINT Tenants are reimbursed after Phase1 rent increase By HOWARD BRICK A poetry reading by John Sinclair tonight will open a week of fund-raising activities by the Ann Arbor Tribal Council, a coalition .of community organizations which aim to expand the facilities of their newly estab- lished Community Center. Tonight's program will mark the first pub- lic reading in three years for Sinclair, who was recently released from jail pending his 9%-10 year sentence for possession of mari- juana. Also reading poetry with Sinclair will be Ed Saunders, Donald Hall, and several other local poets. The Tribal Council was formed last spring with the goal- of "building a strong alterna- tive community that deals with the needs of the people of Ann Arbor." For the past few months, the council's energies have pri- marily gone into the new Community Center at 502 E. Washington St. The Center serves as the headquarters for Ozone House, a counseling service for local youth; Drug Help, a drug counseling service; and the Free People's Clinic. The Clinic offers free medical service to members of the community and plans to offer free dental services in the near future if adequate funds can be raised. An art work- shop and a People's Ballroom for social events are also planned for construction if The Tribal Council also hopes this week to further aid its various committees which include a People's Defense committee which provides legal counseling and maintains a bail fund, a People's Food committee which runs a food co-op dealing in fruits and vegetables, and a People's Education com- mittee aimed at establishing a day care. center and free school in Ann Arbor. The Tribal Council will hold a community dinner on Thursday. At the dinner, the Council will report on the activities of its various committees. By SUE STEPHENSON Nine tenants of Hall Management Com- pany have been reimbursed for irregularly imposed rent rates during the price freeze. Hall Management, however, included no letter of explanation concerning the reim- bursements, and in many cases tenants didn't receive the correct amount. One ten- ant said, "Hall Management's books are all fouled up. Some tenants didn't receive enough, while others received too much." Those reimbursed, who are tenants of 939 Dewey St. filed a complaint with the IRS against Hall Management. "We were told by IRS," explained one of the tenants, "that they would then investigate all of Hall Man- agements' ownings besides 939 Dewey St." "If Hall Management is found guilty, as much as a $5,000 fine may be imposed," de- spite the recent reimbursement, he con- tinued. According to Craig Hall, of Hall Manage- ment, "We really want to know. exactly what's right according to the law. We were going on the basis of what a lawyer had given us. . . . However, if IRS finds out we were justified in charging the increased rates, we will come back and collect." He added, "If we find that we were not within the law when we increased the rent rates in some of our other buildings, we'll refund their money." According to Ann Arbor Tenants Union member, John Lavelle, "many tenants in Washtenaw County are entitled to such re- imbursements." The Internal Revenue Service's Office of Emergency Preparedness Economic Stabili- zation Phase I regulations state: " A tenant may not be charged more for his unit than was charged for that particu- lar unit last year. * Every tenant has the legal right to de- mand to see the last year's lease for his unit. These records mustnbe available for public inspection according to regulation 3787. f It is not important when the lease was signed, but rather when it became effective -the date the tenant moved in or could have done so. If the effective date of the lease is after August 15, the rent for that lease may not legally be raised, regulations 3760 and 3950. * No tenant may be evicted for refusing to pay an illegal rent increase, regulation Lploring academic reform By CHRIS PARKS Next year a limited number of University students may be able to participate in small programs in experimental, individualized edu- cation. A commission, appointed by literary col- lege dean Frank Rhodes, has been meeting over the last few months to draw up a pro- posal for research programs on the subject of extra-classroom education. The commission was established in Novem- ber in response to President Fleming's Sep- found to fund its operation through the lit- erary college. The commission, consisting of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs William Hays, psychology Prof. Wilbur McKeachie, geography Prof. Ann Larimore, romance lan- guage Prof. Paul Elie, and physics Prof. Oliver Overseth, its chairman, has been meeting weekly since late November "trying to as- semble some ideas for individualizing educa- tion," Hays said. The commission's report, which is slated to