Thursday, September 9, 1971
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
4Pdge ..Five
Thursday, September 9, 1971 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
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OSS policy board: Power to the students?
By GERI SPRUNG
While students can say little
a b o u t the amount of tuition
they pay, they can, through the
Office of S t u d e n t Services
(OSS) decide that dormitories
will buy only union-picked let-
tuce.
The creation of the student-
faculty OSS policy board last
year marked the first time stu-
dents have had actual voting
power in c e r t a i n University
policy decisions. And, OSS was
the logical place to initiate such
decision - making since the ; of-
fice is primarily concerned with
activities relating to student rife
- housing, student organiza-
tions, and counseling.
Yet the road to the creation
of that board was a long one.
Pressured to respond to in-
creased campus unrest in the
mid-sixties, the administration
appointed a commission to study
the role of students in decision-
making. In spring 1968, the com-
mission responded by calling for
the creation of University-wide
bodies which would give stu-
dents a major role in governing
student c o n d u c t and student
services.
The vague recommendations
were finally given substance by
an ad-hoc c omm iit tee which
drafted a series of regental by-
laws to implement the sugges-
tions. Among the drafts was a
proposal for a student domi-
nated policy board to govern
aSS.
In the meantime. the by-law
ran into a number of snags. Its
passage was first delayed for
over a year because of student-
faculty-administration disagree-
ment over various aspects of the
draft. At the same time, a search
committee, attempting to find a
replacement for the out-going
vice president for student af-
fairs (later student services),
was hindered as a controversy
ensued over whether the new
vice president should be ap-
pointed before the by-law was
passed. And with this stalemate,
all the nominated candidates
withdrew.
The issue was finally resolved
somewhat by the nomination
and appointment of then-law
Prof. Robert Knauss, who said
he would be bound by the deci-
sions of the board.
But because of the adminis-
tration's reluctance to create
the board as well as the lengthy
dispute over the powers of the
proposed board, it seemed that
the policy board's authority
would be limited.
While the board's major policy
decisions have been reviewed
and often vetoed by the Re-
gents over the past year, the
board has been given consider-
able lee-way in determining
general operations of OSS.
This past year has been one
of exploration for the board.
As their powers were left unde-
fined by the regental by-law
which created the board, the
m e m b e r s were continuously
"feeling their way" around their
jobs trying to anticipate the lim-
its the Regents would impose on
them.
Thus, most of its work has
been in reorganizing OSS, in-
tegrating the various programs
of the office, and creating new
programs such as a campus le-
gal aid branch for students.
Occasionally, the board mikes
a major policy decision, which
comes under the close scrutiny
of the Regents.
One such instance )ccurred
when the board approved a re-
cruiting policy for the OSS
placement office which was a
radical re-interpretation of the
University's overall recruiting
policy. After consideration of
the policy, the Regents politely
vetoed it.
The policy would have effec-
tively barred over 250 major U S.
profit corporations with offices
in South Africa from using the
OSS placement o f f i c e. The
policy was aimed at enforcing
the existing University recruit-
ing policy, which prohibits ar'y ,
corporation which engages in
discriminatory practices f r o mn
recruiting on campus.
Prompted by evidence put
were recruiting students specific
ally for employment in countries
which sanction legal discrimina-
tion.
Besides rejection of the re-
cruiting policy, the policy board
has also made major changes in
the organization of OSS. The of-
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If things get too unbearable for
a students trying to make the Uni-
versity bureaucracy work for them,
the man they're supposed to turn
to is ROBERT KNAUSS, vice
president for students services.
As director of the Office of .Stu-
dent Services (OSS), Knauss has
largely acted as a mediator, rep-
resenting student views before the
Regents and administrators and
then explaining official positions
to students.
Knauss, the only vice-president
with a student-faculty p o l i c y
board, said upon assuming office
last year he would quit if the Re-
gents or his board lost confidence
in him. A year later, he is neither
the Regents' or students' ideal,
but he is friendly and willing to
listen.
subject to review by the OSS
board, and again ultimately by
the Regents.
Also, the special needs of black
students will be specifically tak-
en care of by an assistant vice-
president, Charles Kidd, who was
recently appointed by the policy
board to help run the office.
The role of Vice-president for
Student Services is unique among
the executive officers, because
his policy decisions are made
with student in-put. Although the
board was designed to set the
policies of the office, it does not
act independently of Knauss,
who put items on the agenda
and attaches his recommenda-
tions to specific projects.
Knauss is quick to point out
that while there have been dis-
agreements on the five student/
four faculty member board, the
divisions have never been along
student-faculty lines. He also
adds that he has never had any
significant disagreements with
the board.
Knauss, as a University vice-
president and also the imple-
menter of the board's policies,
may find himself caught in the
middle if there is evera, major
disagreement between the board
and the Regents. If that happens,
Knauss emphasizes that he will
resign rather than side against
either his board or the Regents.
With a vice-president open to
change and an innovative office,
OSS and its policy board may be
able to make some significant
changes throughout the next few
years. As one administrator in
the office said, "OSS provides the
tools for students to facilitate
change. And they are the ones
who are going to bring about the
greatest change."
Diseipline at the 'U':
A system all its own
Robert Knauss
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(Continued from Page 2)
The opposite, however, is true
of UC's work thus far.
In proposing a set of regula-
tions aimed at pleasing students,
faculty and administartors alike.
UC apparently pleased nobody,
as each group found something
in the rules to object to-often
for exactly opposite reasons.
The proposed UC rules pro-
hibit similar types of activities
as prohibited by the Interim
Rules, but unlike them, contain
specific m a x i m u m penalties
which can be imposed by the
judiciary mechanism.
This difference is a major
source of dissatisfaction with the
faculty, who see the penalties
as generally too light - es-
pecially for first offenses. Fa-
culty members particularly ob-
ject to UC's removal of expul-
sion as a, penalty and when
Senate Assembly considered the
proposed UC rules in March,
it asked for modifications
which would reinstate the ex-
pulsion sanction.
Assembly's proposed modifi-
cations reflected the fact that
disruption . cases are also es-
pecially sensitive to faculty
members, for it Is here they
see the most obvious threat to
their academic freedom.
SGC, on the other hand, ex-
pressed the view of many stu-
dents that disruption is some-
times a necessary and effective
tactic for publicizing political
views and sensitizing members
of the University community to
them. For Council, the question
of expulsion, and even suspen-
sion of someone for such an,
act, is deplorable, unless the of-
fender is endangering others if
he stays here.
In rejecting the UC rules, SGC
suggested removal of the rule
that allows the president of the
University to order protesters to
end a sit-in in a University fa-
cility, to decrease several penal-
ties, and to allow suspension of
an offender only when t h e
continued presence of the in-
dividual represents a danger to
other members of the commun-
ity.
Armed with the revisions pro-
posed by Assembly and SGC,
SUC was expected to formulate
a new draft ready by the start
of the fall term, although the
possibility of a compromise sat-
isfactory to all interest groups
seems unlikely.
The administration will at-
tempt to implement the judi-
ciary system this term, through
appointment of the judgesand
officers that regulate the judi-
ciary. But until the UC rules
are finalized, the judiciary will
merely replace the hearing of-
ficer procedure in enforcing the
Regents Interim Rules.
Last year saw some major
breakthroughs in the Univer-
sity's attempt to devise a legal
system appropriate to this cam-
pus. This year, approval of a
set of rules may allow the sys-
tem to be completely imple-
mented.
But while the work of f i v e
years will have been finally
brought to a conclusion, it will
remain for the next five years
to determine whether the new
system actually becomes a via-
ble substitute for the civil sys-
tem.
forth by The Brain Mistrust, a
radical research organization, the
board interpreted this regulation
to include corporations which
legally discriminate as do those
which operate in South Africa
and follow apartheid there.
The policy faced opposition
from several other placement of-
fices on campus and after a pro-
longed controversy, the Regents
struck the OSS policy down--
ruling that corporations would
only be excluded from using cam-
pus placement offices if they
fice was formerly made up of
nine diverse sub-units, often over-
lapping and uncoordinated.
Now the board has oeen re-
structured into five subdivisions
-housing, counseling, special
services, career planning and
placement, and health service.
Each of the units will event-
ually have their own policy com-
mittees, though the housing poli-
policy board are the only ones
cy board and the health service
which have been actually set up.
The actions of these boards are
Bridge over troubled
waters:, U services
You've always had problems, but away from home they're
bound to increase. Fortunately, the University provides dozens
of helpful services, which are available if you know where to
turn. Here is a list of the most common problems found at the
University.
ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING
Dial 76-GUIDE anytime day or night for answers and re-
ferrals to any questions you may have. There are about 20
friendly people there who promise to try and solve any problem
that is phoned in.
YOUR LOTTERY NUMBER IS THREE
If you don't have a bad back or asthma, check with the
Draft Counseling Service, 1548 LS&A Bldg. or the Ann Arbor
Draft Counseling Center, 502 E. Huron, to see how you can
cope with Uncle Sam's wars. The Office of Religious Affairs,
2282 Student Activities Bldg.also offers counseling for those
who wish to establish conscientious objector status.
MOTHER CUT YOU OFF
It costs a bundle to live in Ann Arbor, so when money gets
tight, stop in at the Office of Financial Aid, 2011 Student Acti-
vities Bldg., to check out scholarships, loans, or grants. The
Student Credit Union, Michigan Union, also provides low interest
loans, savings accounts, and free check-cashingIto its members.
YOU'VE DEVELOPED ROCKY MOUNTAIN
SPOTTED FEVER
Appointments can be made with Health Service, 207 Fletch
er or students can consult its physicins on a walk-in basis.
No matter what the condition, consultations are free, though
patients must pay for tests, specialists, and medications. For
any serious conditions, however, students should go to Univer-
sity Hospital, 1405 E. Ann, whose facilities and staff are among
the best in the country.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GET PREGNANT
Yes, Virginia, you can get the pill at the University and
quite easily. Try Health Service, 207 Fletcher St., 764-8320
where you pay only for medication and necessary tests. And if
you miscalculate, Health Service will also provide the "morning-
after" pill.
YOU ARE PREGNANT
Pregnancy counseling and abortion referrals are provided
by the Women's Liberation office, 2514 Student Activities Bldg.
and the Office of Religious Affairs (don't let the name turn you
off), 2282 Student Activities Bldg.
YOUR ROOF FELL IN
If your living room is filled with flaking plaster or your
landlord is ready to throw you out, visit the Off-Campus Hous-
ing Bureau, 2258 Student Activities Bldg. (764-7400). The office
provides lists of apartments and houses and provides a media-
tion service for landlord disputes.
YOU'RE SEEING PAISLEY HORSIES
The friendly freaks at Drug Help, 302 E. Liberty (dial 761-
HELP) are the best people to ask what's in that little green
and white capsule you're about to drop. The center is also a
good place to call if your roommate flips out.
YOU'RE SICK OF PANHANDLING
When you decide its time to join the establishment, check
out the job listings at Placement Services, 3200 Student Activi-
ties Bldg., where you can interview for jobs ranging from teach-
ing in Hoboken to working for Dow Chemical. If you want to
check out the possibilities at Camp Minnie-ha-ha for the sum-
mer, try the Summer Placement Office, 212 Student Activities
Bldg. Part-time jobs around Ann Arbor and the University are
listed with the Part-time Employment Office, 2200 Student
Activities Bldg.
YOU AREN'T COMMUNICATING WELL
WITH LOCAL POLICE
Student Government -Council sponsors the Student Legal
Services, 1546 Student Activities Bldg., where students who have
been arrested can receive legal counseling for a nominal cost.
YOU'RE LOSING YOUR GRIP
Graduate psychology students offer free advice to students
with emotional and intellectual problems at the Bureau of
Psychological Services, Counseling Division, 1007 E. Huron.
Those with more serious problems can turn to the Mental Health
Clinic, University Health Service, 207 Fletcher where psychia-
trists are on call and brief psycotherapy is available.
YOU'VE LOST YOUR ID
If you've misplaced that magical mystical card which opens
the doors of registration, the library and health service, you
can get a new one for $5 at Window "A," LSA Bldg.
YOU'VE LOST YOUR RED AND WHITE
STRIPED MITTENS
Lost and found items can be picked up or deposited in the
Student Community Relations Office, 2258 Student Activities
Bldg.
'U' exec
(Continued from Page 1)
a few years ago a sure-fire
method for making the adminis-
tration drop their dictophones
and listen-disruption of busi-
ness as usual.
For example, in April, 1970,
when half of the student body de-
cided that militancy was the only
Way to obtain a University com-
mitment to 10 per cent minority
admissions by fall, 1 9 7 3, they
staged a class strike, and the
administration was compelled to
give in.,
Other campus disorders have
indicated that when there is
enough mass support, the Re-
gents and administration will be
ready to join in some sort
of dialogue, rather than to risk
further turmoil.
"It's unfortunate," one low-
level administrator said recently,
"but administrators respond
most to pressure and fear.
ADMINISTRATION HIERARCHY
utives: Corporate touch
Without disruptive tactics,
there would be very little
change around here."
As a result of this weakness,
sit-ins in the Administration or
LSA Bldgs., and disruptions of
Regents meetings and open hear-
ings have become common fare
for student activists seeking a
voice in University affairs. '
Indeed, the greater willing-
ness of administrators to confer
with protesters when faced with
the threat of campus turmoil
seems to denote their top prior-
ity - maintaining a stable day-
to-day operation for the Uni-
versity.
"The administrations' handi-
cap is that pressure from
faculty and students must be
immediate to bring about a re-
sponse," says law school Dean
Theodore St. Antoine, long a
close associate of University
administrators.
President Fleming adds, "The
administration's greatest weak-
ness is that we get so absorbed
in day-to-day problems, we
just don't have enough time to
look down the road towards the
future."
The administration's c o m -
mittment to maintaining t h e
day-to-day stability of the Uni-
versity may make it more
amenable to students when they
represent a threat to that sta-
bility.
Still, this priority can work
more against student desires
than for them. For in the ab-
sence of massive protests, the
administration attempts to
keep its non-student constitu-
encies - the people of Mich-
igan and the State Legislature
- happy by avoiding accept-
ance of any reform that might
draw their ire.
The students, thus, will lose
in most cases in that the ma-
jority of student-initiated pro-
posals have asked for the Re-
gents and administration to
commit the University to take
moral stands which go against
the established state-wide view.
And in reacting to t h e s e
moral issues, the Regents have,
with the concurrence of t h e
executive officers, rejected stu-
dent proposals for barring
ROTC from the University, end-
ing on-campus job recruitment
by any corporation which oper-
ates in a country where racial
discrimination is legally enfor-
ced and prohibiting c 1 a s s i-
fied and military research at
the University.
Thus, from m a n y students'
point of view, it is the adminis-
tration's corporate character-
just attempting to maintain a
good business-that stands in
the way of meaningful reform
at the University.
At the top of the administra-
tive hierarchy, Fleming seems to
represent the ideal head of a
corporate University adminis-
tration. Being primarily a prob-
lem solver, he is quite adept at
working out disputes so that the
University's operation is never
shunted for very long.
The president also firmly be-
lieves that the administration
should try to run the University
in such a way that it satisfies
the many diverse interest groups
it must deal with-which in-
clude student body, .the faculty,
the University's alumni, and the
State Legislature.
The v i c e presidents, mean-
while, were all drawn from the
University faculty, not because
of their expertise in a given
field, but more for their busi-
ness talents. And their profes-
sional backgrounds often don't
quite jive with their vice presi-
dencies.
Michael Radock, vice presi-
dent for University relations and
development, was formerly a
journalism professor, and now
spends about a third of his time
supervising the University's per-
iodicals.
The other two-thirds, he is
attempting to obtain alumni
contributions and gifts for the
University.
The executive officers are
minus one vice president as the
fall term begins. Stephen Spurr,
who oversaw financial aid and
admissons, left his post as vice
president and dean of the grad-
uate school to assume the pres-
idency of the University of
Texas. The University has no
plans to replace Spurr's post as
vice president.
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