949 fst an Drnij
Eighty-one years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

A

convention

of

the

young

and

naive

420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.

News Phone: 764-0552

Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily ex press the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1971

NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT SCHREINER

SGC administrative failures

4RECENTL7, reports have indicated that
members of Student Government
Council are investigating ways in which
they may eventually oust the present
SGC administration. Indeed, Council
this week will vote on what may be the
first of a series of actions-a resolution
designed to secure the resignation of Ad-
ministrative Vice President Jay Back.
At first glance, this attempt to unseat
Hack, Council President Rebecca Schenk
and perhaps even Executive Vice Presi-
dent Jerry .Rosenblatt, might be seen as
a purely political action from the mod-
erate and conservative council majority
who would like to remove the self-pro-
claimed "radical" administration. But
the campaign to unseat these adminis-
trators has uncovered many legitimate
criticisms of the -present Council leader-
ship-
One major failure has come in their
ability to influence University adminis-
trators and faculty members on import-
ant issues. Council has never had any
formalized institutional powers at the
University and thus, must actively pursue
the -role of a lobbyist for student interests
and student power. The present adminis-
tration, however, has been noticeably
lackadaisical, declining to steer Council
into political activism. Thus, in recent
months they have not acted as student
advocate on such issues as classified re-
search, academic reform, implementation
of minority admissions programs, or in-
creasing student input into budgetary
decision making.,
IN FACT, IT APPEARS that Council has
not even armed itself with informa-
tion to make intelligent comments on
bmany campus issues. SGC investigative.
Committees, which once provided Coun-
cil with much of the input they required
to make informed decisions, have lately
been almost non-existent.
The officers have not taken a realistic
view of themselves and their position at
the University. Hack and Schenk, in par-
ticular, like to speak of SGC as if it were
a monolith that the University adminis-
tration must contend with, and they re-
gard the administration as their com-
plete adversaries whom they must sway
with their bulk. SGC, however, is not the
powerful campus force that they would
Editorial Staff
ROBERT KRAFTOWITZ
Editor
JIM BEZATTIE DAVE CHUJDWIN
Executive Editor Managing Editor
STEVE KOPPMAN...........Editoria Page Editor
RICK PERLOFF .... Associate Editorial Page Editor
PAT MAHONEY .... Assistant Editorial Page Editor
LARRY LEMPET......Associate Managing Editor
LYNN WEINER..........Associate Managing Editor
ANITA CRONE......................Arts Editor
JIM IRWIN................. Associate Arts Editor
ROBERT CONROW.................Books Editor
JANET FREY....................Personnel Director
JIM JUJDKIS ................ ... Photograrhv Editor
NIGHT EDITORS: Rose Sue Berste, Lindsay Chaney,
Mark Dillen, Sara Fitzgerald, Tammy Jacobs, Alan
Lenhoff, Arthur Lerner, Hester Pulling, Carla
Rapoport, Robert Schreiner, W.E. Schrock, Geri
Sprung.
COPY EDITORS: Pat Bauer, Chris Parks, Gene Robin-
son.
DAY EDITORS: Linda Dreeben, John Mitchell, Han-
nahi Morrison, Beth Oberf eder, Tony Schwartz
Gloria Jane Smith, Ted Stein, Paul Travis, Marcia
Zoslaw.
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Robert Barkin, Jan
Benedetti, Steve Brummel, Janet Gordon Lynn
Sheehan, Charles Stein.

like believe it is, and in order to be ef-
fective in their actions, they would be
better advised to attempt to persuade
with facts rather than impotently seek-
ing to intimidate the administration.
In dealing with the faculty, the present
SGC leadership has been counterproduc-
tive. Council has refused to appoint mem-
bers to many of the faculty advisory
committees because the committees
either do not have student faculty parity,
or because the committees' decisions are
advisory and not binding. This has not
only angered Senate Assembly members
but also selfishly denied many students
who perhaps do not share Council's view
of these committees a chance to attempt
to exert influence within these struc-
tures.
THE COUNCIL LEADERSHIP, all too
often, has attempted to equate mon-
etary power with its organizational ef-
fectiveness. Council spends simply too
much time attempting to generate funds.
In addition to its $18,000 annual subsidy
from the University, SGC invests student
money in businesses which sell students
insurance policies and air charter flights.
Once SGC even held a lengthy debate on
the possibility of renting refrigerators
to students. And beyond that, the SGC
administrators asked students to support
a referenda item which would have in-
creased SGC's student fee allocation from
$.25 per term to $.85. Had the funding
measure passed, SGC's total yearly in-
come with its business profits would have
totalled about $65,000.
And where does SGC's money go? This
year the money has gone to some good
programs-the Temporary Employes As-
sociation, a community bail fund and
Student Action, the SGC newspaper were
all worthwhile projects. But SGC's larg-
est allocation of the year, that of $1,500
for a student print co-op, was irresponsi-
bly and haphazardly doled out by the
SGC administration under Schenk's di-
rection and currently SGC has neither
printing equipment nor 'a refund of its
allocation to explain its action.
These allocations have made apparent
two problems of the Council leaders:
They are not experienced enough in
money matters to manage a great amount
of money, and also they are funding pro-
grams with student money that could
and should be funded through University
general fund monies from the Office of
Student Services.
Certainly, effective leadership is neces-
sary to lead Council into meaningful and
decisive action. The present SGC admin-
istration is suffering from a deluge of
radical rhetoric and a lack of results. Ad-
mittedly, in the past, SGC administra-
tions have had more unified support
among the other Council members, thus
expediting the enactment of their pro-
grams..Schenk and her compatriots,
however, have done little to justify con-
fidence from their more conservative
opposition on Council. The result has
been an ineffective Council.
The present SGC administration has
demonstrated that it is unable to work
successfully in guiding Council toward
implementing the goals of students. Un-
less that record improves markedly in
the near-future, their resignations or
recall should be welcomed.
-ALAN LENHOFF

McGovern, Humphrey, Jackson and Muskies Co uld a youth convention hope for more?

Letters to The Daily

U.S. hypocrisy
To The Daily:
IN ALL MY YEARS of embar-
rassment, disbelief, and revulsion
at U.S. foreign policy,particularly
in the Third World, I have never
felt so deeply ashamed of being
an American citizen as when I
heard the government declaration
of support for West Pakistan and
the condemnation of India's de-
fense of people of Bangla Desh,
especially as the Pakistan military
forced India's interest by driving
up to ten million refugees into W.
Bengal as a direct result of their
aggression.
The U.S. government does not
even have the shred of rationale
used previously of opposing "com-
munism." The brutal suppression
3f the Bengalis began when the
results of the first national demo-
,ratic election threatened the end
of Yahya Khan's continued exploi-
tation of E. Pakistan. The system-
atic murder of students, intel-
lectuals, Hindus, and Muslims who
may or may not have. openly op-

posed the crushing policies of the
military regime, can only be com-
)ared (and on equal terms) with
the genocide of Hitler.
The ruthless tactics of the Paki-
5tani military government have
forced the E. Pakistanis to fight
for independence as the only al-
ternative to death and the destruc-
tion of their land and property
Previously, equalsrepresentation
was all that was asked by the half
of the nation which contains a
majority of the people and con-
tributes most to the economy but
gets least in return. This is no
longer possible after the appal-
ling events which have passed
since last March.
The billions in military aid pro-
vided Yahya Khan by the U.S. as
a hedge against the "spread of
communism" have only been used
against E. Bengal and India. The
stand of the U.S. and of China
against Bangla Desh and unfor-
tunately shows where both na-
tions are really at.
The amazing hypocrisy of this
country calling for a ceasefire "be-

r W YA MEAN, "AMATNPTIC" 4
AhI CJAPUS BIAS GOT A LOTA.' PROBLEMD NI k ,'CER T E p O '

cause war is no solution" is too
incredible to believe. In light of
our own violent policies, it is too,
difficult to believe that the U.S.
is morally opposed to the concept
of war, but rather that we object
to the very real possibility of the
Bengalis winning a war of inde-
pendence with India's aid.
-Sharon Lowen, Grad.
Dec. 6
good business
To the Daily:
AFTER WATCHING the tele-
vision program, "India-Pakistan at
War," and after hearing the State
Department'scomments on t h e
crisis, we have come to the con-
clusion that the U.S. government
is following the best possible course
to bring peace between India and
Pakistan and their allies, China
and the Soviet Union.
The State Department has hit
upon the old idea that the best
method to heal divisions is to pro-
vide a common enemy and is bus-
ily trying to give them one-us.
Our constant meddling in the af-
fair can seem to serve no other
logical purpose since it is only
making us enemies on all sides.
The State Department should
be proud that they are managing
to embroil us in a conflict against
one and one half billion people.
Think of the prosperity this war
could provide for Amerian busi-
ness. We urge those in power in
Washington to keep up the good
work.
-Jonathan Rand '73
-Robert James '73
Dec. 5
Letters to The Daily should
be mailed to the Editorial Di-
rector or delivered to M a r y
Rafferty in the Student Pub-
lications business office in the
Michigan Daily building. Let-
ters should be typed, double-
spaced and normally should
not exceed 250 words. The
Editorial Directors reserve the
right to edit all letters sub-
mitted.

By TAMMY JACOBS
OVER 3,000 DELEGATES gathered in the huge room, clustered
under cardboard and plywood signs denoting the various states
of the union. Several sported McCarthy buttons, more wore buttons
for McGovern, and all were enthusiastically plotting.
The Democratic national convention? Wrong. The scene took
place last weekend, when youthful voters from all over America flocked
to participate in an Emergency Conference for New Voters, to gather
forces for the year to come.
The gymnasium at Loyola University in Chicago last weekend' dif-
fered from a convention hall in that the state signs were makeshift,
there were no snakedances through the aisles in favor of any one
candidate, and the delegates were all an average of 20 years younger
and far more naive than their convention hall counterparts.
The purpose, too, was different - this convention was not con-
vened to choose a candidate, but merely to gather the strength to
help make such a choice the next time around.
The young delegate, though, had much the same aim as the
Democratic conventioneers: To increase their , political power.
And, said one student from Eastern Michigan University, "with
all this backroom maneuvering, it's like a real convention."
LIKE ITS 1968 DEMOCRATIC PARALLEL, this convention also
failed, but for different reasons and in different ways.
For, unlike their counterparts at the national conventions, these
delegates came uncommitted, and most were unskilled - for many,
it was their first try at "political activism."
Radical leader Rennie Davis recently said, "It's the Podunk places
that are going to give the leadership. Ann Arbor, Buffalo, Harvard
are the last places to look. The despair, the bitterness is too deep."
It was these Podunk places that were represented last week. Stu-
dents came from Kansas, from Minnesota, from Alabama to partici-
pate in the conference, to learn how to grab their own share of
political power.
They were, for the most part, white middle class students, and
that was to cause them virtually fatal guilty feelings when the black
and Chicano caucuses walked out the second night.
The conference was sponsored by the Association of Student
Governments, led by Duane Draper, who proudly proclaimed at the
first session that "We belong to no candidate and to no party."
That may have been one of the main -problems. The delegates
were together on only two things - they shared a vehement hatred
for the politics of Richard Nixon, and they voiced a strong demand
that whoever is to represent the youth vote next year must first
have announced specific plans for an immediate end to the war.
BUT THEY WERE TOGETHER for no candidate, and factionalism
developed even over the anti-war plank when a choice between "out
now" and "set a date" philosophies appeared.
Of the 3,000 a handful - perhaps up to 20 per cent - were
"heavies," veterans of past political campaigns - and they spent
most of the time trying to gain the support of the newcomers to
the political scene.
These heavies were divided roughly in half : Those who supported
a specific candidate and wanted to win more support for that candi-
date, and those who supported former liberal congressman Allard
Lowenstein, who'd been leading "Dump Nixon" registration drives all
summer, and who was an informal co-sponsor of the conference.
But for the most part, the straight-youth-of-middle-America types
weren't buying what the heavies were selling in the form of petitions,
leaflets, buttons and posters.
And factionalism reared its ugly-yet not unexpected-head when
the heavies tried to introduce into the convention specific issues such
as legalization of, marijuana, freedom for political prisoners, and
abortion reform.
The Lowenstein people urged the delegates to "stick to the
things we agree on" - the anti-war, anti-Nixon issues. The only
other generally accepted issue was opposition to Supreme Court nom-
inee William Rehnquist.
When other topics were touched on by the most famous of the
assembled speakers - Bella Abzug and Julian Bond-the youthful
voters applauded and gave standing ovations, then sank back into
a studied disregard for anything more controversial or confusing than
the two main focuses.
BUT SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES were forced on the delegates
when the black and Chicano caucuses dramatically walked out Satur-
day night; and if one action broke the idealistic spirit of the confer-
ence, that was it.
The time remaining after the walkout was taken up with guilty
soul-searching - instead of accepting that it was a "white middle
class student caucus," the group agonized over trying to be a repre-
sentative "youth caucus" without representation from blacks, Chicanos
and workers.
When the dust from the walkout had settled the next mhorning,
only 500 remained of the 3,000 that had started so enthusiastically.
The rest had gone, some because of extreme disillusionment, some
because of extreme disgust, and some because their buses were leav-
ing for Emporia, Kansas.
And the grand Statement of Purpose passed by the remaining
delegates was almost a mockery.
"We must leave this conference as a coalition of young people,
brown people, black people, American Indians, women and all dis-
enfranchised classes of America," said the statement. "We have come
here as individuals ... we leave as a movement.
AND PERHAPS THE PODUNK PEOPLE, who - along with the
veterans of the 60's activism - have the potential to change things,

learned something.
Perhaps they took home skills gleaned from the workshops, and
perhaps they took home a new consciousness - even a cynical one-
gained from the failure of their first major attempt.
And perhaps, for that, it was all worth it. Maybe.

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'U':
By CARLA RAPOPO
EN THE UNIVERSIT
to change itself, it mov
huge, tired animal. Departm
offices, like so many feet a
up, shaken'a bit and put ba
yards ahead. Old policies
attitudes slowly peel off l
skin and a coat of new o
over the bare patches.
Thus the University has b
bering along since it made a
ment almost two years agoJ
per cent black enrollment
demic year 1973-74.
The Black Action Moveme
strike in March, 1970 hit th
sity hard, causing it to shar
ly plod feet first into sati
enrollment commitment. De
fessors, and administrat
pledged that black admissio
h 1rvrng e T h u'Pr iv'f

Enrolling
RT But as the number swelled, so have aid is.
Y decides the problems. And a black students cent,
ves like a express their criticism of nearly wereg
nents and every University program designed fundin
re picked for them, the question arises: Does ment
ack a few the University only allocate money the su
and old for black enrollment, or is it sin- has ba
like dead cerely committed to the support of In a
nes grow its black students? carefu
experi(
)een lum- WHILE THE AVERAGE black un- journa
commit- dergraduate on financial aid receives of the
for a ten $1650 a year and a graduate student ed cor
by aca- receives '$3,250, the vast majority center.
complain that they are:
nt's class -Unprepared for the fringe costs RThis
e Univer- of a University education, such as "sepal
ne-faced- books, clothes, food;
sfying an -Subject to traumatic, degrading
ans, pro- experiences if their financial situa- With
ors a 11 tion worsens and require more black
ns would money; studen

blacks

with

both

eyes

increased this year by 130 per
supportive services for blacks
granted only 25 per cent more
ng. Thus while funding enroll-
has sky-rocketed, funds for
upport of these new students
,rely budged,
n elaborate report made after
l examination of black students'
ences here, Gilbert Maddox,
lism professor and former head
Opportunity Program, suggest-
nstruction of a black student
plan was flatly rejected by the
ts last summer as a plan for
ratism."
* * *
the community spirit of a
center, Maddox states, black
ts could gain the confidence
nee'rd to comfortab~vly ern to-

In an uncirculated study of blacks'
experiences at the Rackham School
of Graduate Studies, a University sta-
tistician concludes, "In general, with
the expansion in numbers of black
students and faculty, there has been
greater consciousness of black-white
issues, but not much change in the

most, like coming to a foreign, un-
friendly country. Speech patterns, so-
cial conventions, family background-
all set black students apart as a dis-
tinct culture group which they say
must be recognized and respected.
Thus, for Fleming or other adminis-
trators to say that though enrolling

::;a :

Although black enrollment has increased, no real
integration between black and white students has
emerged. Blacks remain congregated in separate
sections of dorms and dining halls or on certain cor-
ridors in classroom buildings.
"There might be more of us," says one sopho-
more, "but we aren't part of any whole. We keep
together because we know what it's like to be black at

students if it continues in its present
non-supportive role, enrolling students
but glossing over their problems, re-
jecting those proposals which do not
reflect the administration's ideology
on integration and blacks.
For example, Fleming said recent-
ly." We think of University students
as students, we don't think of their
color. We do think of their problems
but not as wholly different problems
from other students."
THIS ATTITUDE is alarmingly sim-
plistic. For the University to admit a
group- of students uniquely distinct
from the majority and then to ignore
these differences is akin to admitting
a black freshman, only to inform him
that he must become "white," or
face almost certain faiure.

closed
fort, and not by standing in the Uni-
versity's line for measured hand-outs.
The University has not blocked,
however, plans to use the William
Trotter house on East University for
satellite offices for the various sup-
portive services, and as a place for
black students to congregate. But
Trotter house will be maintained with
gift funds and will receive no direct
University aid.
Untilathe University commits funds
and staff for increased services for
black students, the lack of trust be-
tween students and the white Uni-
versity can only grow deeper.
While committed to change, the ad-
ministration has not shed its attitudes
toward black students' enrollment
fast enough to meet blacks' needs.
Thus the University will continue its

*,



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