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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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TUESDAY, MARCH 14,1972
9
NIGHT EDITOR: PAT BAUER
Science:
By MARC ROSS
IN RECENT decades, many scientists
have discovered to their horror t h a t
contributions of their disciplines are in
large measure destructive rather than ad-
vantageous to people. Technology which
damages the physical environment and hu-
man relationships, and which threatens in-
dividual independence and health is an
example.
The scientist-educator must face two
questions. Is there technical work which
will contribute positively to the quality of
human life? And, what kind of scientific
education will lead people into this tech-
nical work?I
Our society must find a means of con-
trolling technology in order to ensure hu-
mane and beneficial advances. This con-
trol is not only a problem for science,
but has inextricable psychological, social,
political, and economic factors.
TO CARRY out this goal, our society will
have to do several things:
-stop the ever-increasing growth in con-
sumption of resources;
-slow down the adoption of "high-tech-
nologies" to solve all problems;
-encourage diversity rather than homo-
geneity;
-steer the economy away from growth
for profits toward a more equitable distri-
bution and enhancement of intensive serv-
ices in health, education, recreation and
safety.
All of this will involve the development
of exciting new forms of social and na-
tural technologies. Innovation must go on.
Substantial scientific and engineering re-
search is needed on socially oriented prob-
lems - evaluation and monitoring of re-
sible science? Many of our problems with
technology are ultimately due to scientists'
narrow fields of interest.
The massive, professional training since
World War II, in response to government
funding, has involved a sharp drop in
"science for the non-professional" and in
individual standards for professional educa-
tion and research. A related development
has been the over-specialization of individ-
uals and fragmentation of disciplines.
In physics, specialization and technologi-
cal enthusiasm have promoted technical
virtuosity, but have also, in effect, trained
many people for pedantic research with
pitifully small scope and for weapons-re-
lated "high-technology" careers.
The educational system has in this way
been a partner in the industrial and mli-
tary adventures which threaten our so-
ciety. Teachers have eagerly participated.
Important as it is, classified research is in
this larger perspective a peripheral issue
at the University.
WE NEED to revive the neglected, al-
most moribund, interest of non-scientists in
science and technology. Not only are peo-
ple who are unfamiliar with science
strangers in our time, but society needs the
participation of non-professionals in tech
nology-related decisions.
Certainly, we need course programs and
research in the evaluation and control of
technology, and we need to develop ethical
and social concertis in ourselves and our
students.
Marc Ross is a physics professor and
has compiled for distribution a list of
Fall '72 undergraduate courses in the
general area of "Science, Technology,
and Society."
Supplanting narrow vision
*4
sources, recycling, waste processing, con-
traception, pre-natal care, organic agricul-
ture and housing techniques.
WHAT OF THE vast areas of established
scientific work? As long as the opportunity
is present scientists will continue to pur-
sue research in areas they find intrigu-
ing.
The consequences of any particular re-
search are largely unpredictable, but there
is research which can be identified as hav-
ing long range negative impact-especially
-Daily-David Margolick'
because social adjustments are not able to
keep up with scientific applications. So-
ciety's support for such research must
be reduced.
However, inasmch as scientific discov-
eries in their incredible variety have had
a powerful and generaly beneficial influ-
ence on ideas and culture, society should
have no difficulty finding ample basic re-
search to subsidize.
THEN WHAT is the educational role of
scientists in developing a socialy repscn-
Letters: 'Getting rid'
of women's voice?
"But, first, a word from our sponsor ..."
ITT and the crooked 'cops
THE PRESENT ITT scandal, more so
than other scandals which periodical-
ly jolt the government at all levels, is a
tragedy.
It is more of a tragedy because, if the
allegations prove true, they implicate the
highest law enforcement officials in the
country - a situation which makes fre-
quent exhortations for law and order by
the attorney general the quintessence of
hypocrisy.
Of course, crooked cops are nothing
new, but the Attorney General and his
deputies, if proved guilty, would be
crooked cops of an unprecedented magni-
tude. Their actions have been likened to
fixing a billion dollar traffic ticket.
Since there has been no public trial,
no one can say for certain that the Jus-
tice Department officials are guilty of
anything, but their contradictory public
statements indicate something is 'amiss.
Previously, Acting Attorney General
Richard Kleindienst denied any connec-
tion between a $100,000 gift from ITT to
the Republican party and a Justice De-
partment settlement of an anti-trust suit
against ITT favorable to the company.
He also said that neither he nor Attorney
General Mitchell had taken any part in
the settlement.
This was before columnist Jack Ander-
son published a memo by an ITT lobby-
ist which indicated some connection be-
tween the anti-trust settlement and the
contribution, and in a later column called
Kleindienst a liar for denying it.
IN HEARINGS before the Senate Judi-
ciary Committee last week, Kleindienst
managed to further implicate himself.
First, Kleindienst admitted that he had
talked with one, but only one, ITT offi-
cial - named Felix Rohatyn - about
the anti-trust suit. He denied any knowl-
edge of the ITT contribution until it be-
came public information "on or about
Dec. 3" of last year.
Later in the day, Kleindienst reversed
himself on the first statement and said
he had discussed the anti-trust suit with
another ITT official, and in fact it was
this official who suggested the meetings
with Rohatyn.
The next day, committee member Ed-
ward Kennedy produced a letter from a
Ralph Nader associate addressed to then
Deputy Attorney General Richard Mc-
Laren, asking about any connection be-
tween the ITT settlement and the $100,-
000 gift. Kennedy also had the reply,
dated Sept. 22, 1971 and written by Mc-
Laren, which insisted there was no con-
nection.
Kennedy then pointed out that both
McLaren and Kleindienst had earlier said
they did not know of the gift until "ori
or about Dec. 3." Yet here was a letter,
from the Justice Department dated two
months earlier, discussing the gift.
The committee hearing has raised new
questions, and these certainly must be
pursued until answers are found.
BUT IN A larger sense, the ITT scandal
is symptomatic of other deficiencies
of the current administration. Chief
among these is the too close relationship
between big money interests and the
Nixon regime.
From investment tax credits; to invi-
tations to Tricia's wedding, this admin-
istration displays an alarming chummi-
ness with the people who dominate the
economy.
It is true that the President has a
right to choose, his own friends. But his
close association with big money inter-
ests does nothing to instill confidence in
the little people - who rightly feel the
Nixon administration is more concerned
with the interests of a few rich business-
men than with the welfare of either the
poor or the millions in the middle.
-LINDSAY CHANEY
Editorial Page Editor
To The Daily:
ALTHOUGH SOME members of
the University administration may
wish to get rid of the Commis-
sion for Women, The Daily and its
readership should not be misled
into believing that this move is
required by federal regulations
(Daily, Feb. 27).
Revised Order No. 4 which sets
out requirements for affirmative
actionrprograms for federal con-
tractors includes the requirement
that "An executive of the contrac-
tor should be appointed as direct-
or or manager of company Equal
Opportunity Programs". It then
lists the many functions which
this person should be given to car-
ry out, including: education of the
supervisory staff, collection of sta-
tistics on employment, and that of
liason with minority groups and
women's groups in the commun-
ity.
Nothing, but nothing, in this or
any other section of contract com-
pliance guidelines requires or even
suggests that appointing such an
executive means that the c o n-
tractor must abolish all existing
groups which have been set up to
investigate discrimination, recom-
mend policy changes, and provide
input from women and minority
members of the University com-
munity.
An executive should be appoint-
ed to carry out the duties enum-
erated in Order No. 4; but the eli-
mination of the Commission for
Women as a voice for women
speaking out against discrimina-
tion would further neither the let-
ter nor the spirit of the federal
regulations.
-Helen Forsyth
Law '73
Law school
To The Daily:
I AM A female employee ofethe
Law School admissions office. I
feel that I am involved with and
very sensitive to the women's
movement on many levels.
I am very sensitive to my own
problems as a woman and t h e
treatment I receive because I am
a woman. I feel especially sensi-
tive to the treatment I receive
in my work situation where I play
the female role of secretary.
Many of the men who I have
dealt with ;in my work experience
have been condescending and in-
sulting to my intelligence.
While working with Dean Mc-
Cauley, the Law School Admis-
sions Officer, I have never f e 1It
insulted nor patronized. I have al-
ways felt that he views me with
respect and openness.
I am familiar with the admis-
sions process from the inside and
I am satisfied that it is not dis-
criminatory and that both sexes
are judged on the same basis.
It is a fact that there are less
women applicants to Law School
than there are men. Many women
are not yet aware that going to
Law School is a real alternative
for them.
More women should be involved
with the law profession, but the
implications that were made in the
Daily article were very untair and
very unexplored.
What I find most uncomfort-
able about the article, however, is
that neither the author (a sup-
posedly non-sexist male), nor the
concerned female Law students,
consulted the most obvious source
-the women who work in the ad-
missions office.
That implies to me that my posi-
tion is not considered important in
the scheme of the women's move-
ment. That is very insulting and
disappointing to me as a woman.
We are not going to solve our
problems by asking the permission
of men, nor by blaming them. We
can not afford to exclude any
women from our movement. Our
strength is in uniting.
Our power will come of respect-
ing and believing in all wmen as
sisters.
-Susan Messer
Feb. 29
Pack ard-Beakes
To The Daily:
ON APRIL 3 the voters of Ann
Arbor will have a chance to decide
clearly between people and auto-
mobiles. A special bond issue to
provide funds to build the destruc-
tive Packard-Beakes (Ashley-
First) bypass will be- on the bal-
lot. This road would go through
the heart of the Model Cities area.
a low income, predominantly
black community of pleasant, old-
er homes. It would funnel 40,000
cars per day down Beakes street
by the end of the decade.
The road was originally prop,)sed
to divert traffic aroundhthedMain
Street shopping area. The design-
ers of the project never considered
the community destruction it
would cause, as some of the road's
former advocates now realize. Fur-
thermore, Packard-Beakes has
now outlived even its original pur-
pose. Main Street now carries
sufficiently little traffic that its
commercial blocks could be turn-
ed into a, pedestrian mall with lit-
tle more drastic action than in-
stallation of signs directing traffic
around the area.
The proponents of the Packard-
Beakes bypass now justify the pro-
ject by claiming that it would save
five minutes per trip by 1980 for
someone driving fromhnortheast
Ann Arbor to the southern part
of the city. Perhaps it would. The
destruction of a community is too
high a price to pay for minor mo-
torist convenience. I urge voters
to come to the polls on April 3 to
vote no on this disastrous project.
-Michael Morris
Democratic Council
Candidate
Second Ward
March'13
Co-ops
To The Daily:
THE RECENT articles by Wil-
liam Lillvis and Mark Dillen in
regard to Pontiac Heights give no
f , /, ,,,,,..
,
' , ,
l -
i t r "
C rs;
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Otn
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I'4 G
"And I'd like to thank both of
you personally!"
perspective as to the purposes and
abilities of cooperatives.
Two differences separate a co-
operative and General Motors.
First, cooperatives are designed to
be controlled by their members so
that if the .members disagree with
management policies they c a n
change these policies on short no-
tice.
Second, cooperatives are non-
profit and should be able to pro-
duce beter products and services
,,at lower cost.
However, cooperatives are not
public agencies and therefore must
have become sufficient to pay their
expenses, e.g., salaries, taxes, and
mortgages.
The responsibility for an individ-
ual to have adequate income to
Swinging' with the City Councll
cover the person's share of t h e
costs does not rest with the co-
operative (which has already re-
duced costs for the individual),
but with the individual, or if the
individual needs assistance with
public agencies and society in
general.
In the case of any cooperative,
the inability to meet expenses
means the bankruptcy of the co-
operative and the end of any
membership control over policies.
-Thomas z. Brown, Manager
Ann Arbor Cooperative Society
Feb. 28
Life insurance
To The Daily:
THE PICTURE conjured up' by
your Consumer's Union -article : n
life insurance (Daily, Feb. 18) was
most poignant. Hordes of ruthless
life insurance salesmen descend-
ing upon innocent canpus youth,
conning them into buying life in-
surance. Of course, students don't
need life insurance! It is a well
known fact that their parents are
rich so let the parents pay the
bills if they die. Furthermore, let
their parents support their wives
and children. Why should the poor
student be responsible.
Of course, they will want to and
need to buy life insurance later
and if some change in health oc-
curs they may not be able to, but
so what. Their rich parents a r e
still there. Certainly no tllinkiiig
student would buy life insurance
to pay back the $10,000 to $20,003
his parents put out to send him
to school.
This is essestially the view pre-
sented by this article. There is
however another view to be pre-
sented. That is that students
should continue to prepare for fi-
nancial security in their future,
just as they prepare academically
and intellectually. As a families'
John's freedom and the laws
By TAMMY JACOBS
MANY TOWNS have non-partisan elec-
tions for City Council. Ann Arbor, how-
ever, does not.
It almost takes a math major to figure
out the partisan logistics of this year's
council, but, once calculated - adding in
personalities - the implications become as
clear as a ringing telephone to a person
with a hangover.
Ann Arbor is governed by a ten mem-
ber City Council and a mayor with full
JOHN SINCLAIR'S ten year prison sen-
tence for marijuana possession has
been overturned by the State Supreme
Court because the court felt the classi-
fication of marijuana as a hard drug was
unconstitutional.
This decision may herald a new ap-
proach to drug use, but that remains to
be seen. In the meantime, the decision
has wreaked havoc upon the state's drug
laws. Some constitutional authorities as-
sert that, until the new state drug law
takes effect April 1, prosecution for mari-
j uana possession is extremely unlikely.
But, various city authorities around the
state have noted that their local ordi-
nances are intact and can be enforced.
This certainly is an ideal time for care-
ful examination of local drug regula-
tions. The chaos generated by the state
court ruling need not remain chaos. For,
if the local ordinances too are overhauled,
then state residents would benefit from
a consistent progressive attitude toward
drug use.
voting privileges and veto power. This
year, there are six Republicans, four
Democrats and a Democratic mayor on
council.
Theoretically, this means that even with
the mayor voting, the Republicans win -
unless the mayor vetoes, or somebody is
absent.
But here's where the personalities come
in.
SECOND WARD Councilman R o b e r t
Weaver is a strange animal. He is a Re-
publican and, on about half the issues, he
votes the Republican line.
That leaves the other half. Weaver is
what is known as the "swing vote." If he
switches sides, there are' five Republi-
cans, five Democrats (counting the mayor)
and Weaver voting with the Dems.
Weaver, therefore, has more power on
certain votes than anyone else on council.
He knows it, and he loves it. Councilman
James Stephenson (R-Fourth Ward), the
acentedl eader of the Renuhlicans on
"real" vote? The answer, to council con-
noisseurs, is simple.
The Republicans didn't want the tax, the
Democrats did. Weaver, as usual, was the
pivot. So when the Democrats moved the
tax be enacted and then put on the ballot
for acceptance or rejection - the normal
procedure - the Republicans voted no. So
did Weaver.
But Weaver is a "swinger." So when the
Democrats lost that- one, they suggested
an "advisory vote" instead of the defini-
tive one. And Weaver, as was hoped,
"swung."
THE NEXT COUNCIL will be different.
In the April 3 election, five of the ten
seats are open - one in each ward. One
Democrat and one Republican - n o t
Weaver - are running for re-election, and
the rest of the seats are truly up for'
grabs.
A new party has entered the fray -
the Human Rights Party (HRP), determin-
ed to sunly the swing vote or votes if
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