Wednesday, September 2, 1970
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Academics--Page Seven
Wednesday, September 2, 1970 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Academics-Page Seven
'
museums:
From
Ice
Age
gophers
to
Picasso
By HARVARD VALLANCE
A graduate student who has
dedicated his life to the study
of Ice Age gophers stalks with
boundless enthusiasm into one
of the countless storage rooms
behind the University's Alexan-
der G. Ruthven 1,xhibit Museum.
With a fascination reserved
only to one who might find Ice
Age gophers fascinating, he pulls
open one of the several. thou-
sand dr a w e r s stuffed with
assorted tand amazing objects
and produces a tiny glass vial
with something rather unamaz-
ing inside.
"That," he announces proud-
ly, "is a fossilized mouse jaw.
We have tens of thousands of
them back here."
The public, however, simply
won't tolerate the display of
more than a few mouse jaws, so
anyone with a fetish for such
objects will have to satisfy him-
self with the few jaws attached
to the museum's display of ro-
dent history.
Attached to the rodent display
is nearly $1 million worth of
natural history exhibits that-
"almost everyone comes to see
but the students," according to
museum director I. G. Reimann.
In the relatively small area of
the museum open to the public,
one can find a wide assortment
of creatures who flunked their
evolutionary finals and ended up
as objects of attention for Uni-
versity graduate students and
faculty members.
The main floor features a 40
foot duck-billed dinosaur who
went for a drink in a Montana
stream 75 million years ago and
never recovered, as well as the
right rear leg of a 40 ton Bron-
tosaurus.
Reimann says the museum's
invaluable bollection of dinosaur
bones was obtained through the
benevolence of University field
scientists and from "bargain
deals" from other universities.
"There is simply no market
for dinosaur bones," he notes.
"You just can't buy them."
In the middle of the main
floor stands the most complete
of the nearly 200 Mastodons
which have been excavated in
Michigan.
Several Mastodons-hairy rel-
atives of the elephant that died
out 7.000 years ago-are known
to have lived in the campus
area.
A farmer living on Scio
Church Rd. dug up a large spe-
ciman last winter, much of
which is stored in the museum's
back rooms. It will probably
never make it to a display stand,
however, because too many of
the bones went to a refuse heap
before it was discovered they
weren't merely a collection of
decayed boards.
The Mastodon apparently died
a painful death, zoologists at
the museum say, as his remains
indicate that he slipped into a
swamp with a slipped disk and
a badly-twisted spinal column.
Visitors to this natural history
museum can also stare back at,
the four foot long armored skull
of a "fish" that died 300 million
years ago in Cleveland, or can
survey a plaster cast of a 40 foot
sea serpant found in Venezuela.
Prowling about, one might
also learn about the fungi of
Michigan, the state's bald eagle
population (about 100) and the
balance of. power between the
Indian tribes in the Great Lakes
area over the past 400 years.
Amazingly realistic wax In-
dians dominate 14 display cases
in the Indian anthropology sec-
tion depicting Indian cultures
throughout North America.
Another piece of information
offered under glass in the mu-
seum is that 90 per cent of all
the fish weight in Lake Michi-
gan and Lake Huron belongs to
a worthless parasite known as
the alewife, which is on display
for destroying commercial fish-
ing in the western Great Lakes.
The alewife can also be found
outside the museum - dying by
the hundreds of thousands on
Lake Michigan beaches.
All of the museum's mounted
skeletons and miniature displays
of Indian villages or dinosaur
habitats are prepared in the
museum's w o r k s h o p s. Some
scenes can be months in the
-making as the hair on a two
foot beeswax mastadon is melt-
ed into its hide in tiny clumps.
"Putting the hair on these
things can drive a guy nuts,"
one workers says.
And some of the museum's
scenes come dramatically alive
-ancient sea beds can be ac-
tivated by stepping on a rubber
mat, at which point a distant
relative of the squid begins to
devour its victim-an overturn-
ed plastic trilobite.
An astronomy alcove in the
museum features a planatarium
that attracted over 27,000 of
the 134,000 visitors the museum
received last year. Weekend
trips to the North Pole or
through the Milky Way can be
had for 50 cents, and a black
light exhibition of the moon's
surface is free during the week.
Across the hall from the plan-
atarium . stands the life-size
model of a woman who's not
only stark naked but transpar-
ent. Known as "TAM" (Trans-
parent Anotomical Manikan)
she's available on weekends for
a ten minute discussion of hu-
man anatomy-for a 25 cent fee.
On the other side of the cam-
pus and housed behind the
massive columns of Alumni
Memorial Hall is the University's
Museum of Art.
The museum owns or has on
loan some 5,000 art objects rang-
ing from ancient Eastern art to
modern European and American
works. Among the museum's
outstanding permanent posses-
sions are paintings and sketches
by Whistler, Picasso, Van Eyck,
and scultpure by Rodin, Arp,
and Moore.
The museum also has a size-
able collection of Chinese and
Japanese art, with an assort-
ment of rugs, sculpture and
etchings from Persia and Iran.
An organization known as the
Friends of the Museum of Art-
consisting of art patrons con-
tributing anywhere from $5 to
$1,000 yearly-have recently or-
ganized several new programs in
o r d e r to increase community
a w a r e n e s s of the building's
existence.
Free guided tours can be ar-
ranged, conducted by volunteer
graduate students from the his-
tory of art department. During
the academic year, various art
history professors c o n d u c t a
a series of lectures in each of
the museum's four main gal-
leries.
The stone structure that
stands almost unnoticed be-
tween Newberry Hall and the
LSA Bldg. contains the results
of University archeology expe-
ditions in the Near East.
While the Sanford Security
guard says his job "is just as
boring as hell"-only about 20
people a day wander through
the Kelsey Musuem of Ancient
and Medieval Archaeology-the
management there isn't bother-
ed by the lack of patronage.
Assistant to the Curator Mrs.
Donald White explains that Kel-
sey is basically a research fa-
cility.
Only a tiny fraction of the
100,000 objects in the building
are displayed on the one floor
-Daily-Sara Krulwich
A senior resident of the natural history museum
open to the public, but what one
might find on display includes:
an Egyptian mummy, a mummi-
fied monkey, a fragment of
Homer's O d y s s e y found in
Egypt, and excerpts from the
"Book of the Dead"-contain-
ing ancient Egyptian prayers
and incantations w h i c h were
recited over the (then) newly-
deceased.
A complete wooden door from
the first century A.D. and a
4,000 year old boomerang, both
discovered in Egypt, can look
forward to a healthy life in the
museum, Mrs. White says.
"One of the wonders of stone
construction," she explains, "is
that it fosters a perfect balance
of temperature and humidity
which helps to preserve wood."
"The, problem is," she con-
tinues, "the same thing that's
helping our wood is wrecking
our bronze."
New techniques are being de-
veloped, she adds, to prevent
erosion of bronze materials in
the museum.
Enterprising R o m a n brick
makers have given themselves
away in the museum's collection
of ancient building materials.
The curators have exposed one
entrepreneur who painted his
inexpensive building materials
to make them look like bona fide
marble.
Dedicated museum- goers
might also find their way to the
Sterns Collection of Musical In-
struments located in Hill Aud.
The collection traces the history
'of all types of musical instru-
ments, and includes a collection
of unusual Far Eastern instru-
ments along with the forerunner
of the modern guitar and highly
ornate baroque instruments.
The Clements Library is a
combination of both a museum
and a library archives. Donated
to the University by former Re-
gent William Clements in 1922,
the building houses a collection
or rare documents and pictures
connected with American his-
tory.
The museum was constructed
to resemble Clement's Bay City
home, , only on a much larger
scale. The main room includes'
G e o r g e Washington's payroll
lists and first editions of the
"Star Spangled Banner" from
Boston, New York, and Phila-
delphia.
The Clements Library is. pri-
marily for use by scholars of
American history. The displays,
however, are open to the public.
The politics of privacy
By MARTIN HIRSCHMAN
Editor
Almost anyone in the Univer
sity can peek into students' aca
demic records-except the stu-
dents.
And while civil libertarian
have been attempting for sever
al years to establish strict poli
cies governing the use of studen
records, abuses-many of ther
with political overtones - con
tinue to abound.
For example, reliable source
recently reported these poten
tially dangerous situations re-
lating to the use of records it
the literary college counselin
offices:
\-In September 1968, LSA As
sistant Dean George Anderso
placed on file a newspaper clip
ping with the names of the 24
persons arrested in the massiv
welfare sit-in in the Washtena
County Bldg. that month. Th
list was marked to indicate
which off those arrested were
LSA students. Members of An
derson's' office said at the tim
that if any of those arrested
wished to drop a course the,
would have to make :a specia
*p explanation of ,why they did not
have adequate time tocomplet
their presenit course load.
-Two days after he was ar-
rested h a clash between polic
and Black Action Movemen
supporters last March, T. R
Harrison's academic record wa
summoned and inspected by
Honors Council Director Ott
Graf. Graf also recently inspect
ed the record of the editor o
The Daily, for no apparent rea
son. Graf denies these charges
-On the day of the appoint
ment of the 11 present senio
editors of The Daily, Eugen
Nissen, secretary to the LSA
Administrative Board, summon
ed and inspected their academi
records. Nissen admits he sur
veyed the records of The Daily
senior editors, but says he doe
not think there was anythin
wrong with it.
"Yes, I pulled tlem," he says
"I was frankly curious to se
where the editors were from an
how they were doing in school.
Nissen says he ran a check on
the number of hours being car
ried by each senior editor. H
says he was especially interested
because some of the previou
senior editors had been in aca
demic trouble and he wanted to
see if there was a trend.
Nissen says he had mentione
that he would make the check a
and Administrative Board meet
ing and had met with no ob
jection. Later, he says, he re-
ported to the Administrative
- Board, that "the students are
Sregistered and in good stand-
-tnd ing."'
"I think if I had found some-
s one who wasn't enrolled, Iwould
- have brought that to the board's'
- attention and asked for their di-
t rections," Nissen says.
n Although Nissen says this was
i- the first time he has looked up a
student group's records, he in-
s dicates that it may not be the
last.
- "I may well do it again for my
n ,own personal satisfaction," he
g says.
A student's academic' record
- includes his transcript, applica-
n tion to the college,, high school
- recommendations, test scores,
0 and temporary file cards with
e notations made by the counselor
w for each appointment the stu-
e dent makes.
e Nissen says the counselor's
e notations are helpful to the stu-
- dent because they frequently
e help substantiate student claims
d that they were told by the coun-
y selor that their course selections
.1 were sufficient to obtain a de-
t gree although they did not ac-
e tually meet college requirements.
The notations also help in
transferring a student from one
counselor to another, Nissen
t says.
Without a college policy gov-
erning the use of academic rec-
S ords, a variety of practices con-
y cerning the records have arisen
in the various counseling offices.
f For example, Nissen says he
f will not allow other faculty
- members to look into a student's
' record directly, but will give
- information from the record
r without clearance from the stu-
e dent.
A Graf, however, says he lets
- faculty members see the records
c if the faculty member simply
- says he wants to write a recom-
y mendation for a student. Again,
s approval by the student is not
g required.
Both Graf and Nissen insist
. that they never divulge infor-
t mation to the occasional visitors
d from the police, FBI, or Peace
Corps.
n The question of student rec-
- ords has been widely discussed
e in the University since August,
d 1966. At that time, the Univer-
s siyt drew considerable criticism
- for complying with a subpoena
o from the House Un-American
Activities Committee which re-
d quested membership lists of left-
t wing campus organizations.
- After about a week of internal
- consultation, the administration
released the membership lists of
three campus organizations. The
students involved were not noti-
fied until theyhreceived sub-
poenas from the IHousq comi-
mittee.
The controversy that followed
resulted in a number of studies,
some of which are not yet com-
pleted. The first involved the
files of the Office 'of Student
Affairs, in which the member-
ship lists of campus organiza-
tions, had been kept.
Completed over a year ago, the
study resulted in the formula-
tion of rigid guidelines covering
the content and disclosures of
OSA records, including a pro-
vision allowing a student to see
his own file.
Newspaper clippings - once
collected for each student's file
- have also been eliminated.
The faculty Civil Liberties
Board recently won Senate As-
sembly approval of general
guidelines concerning student
files it drew up as a result of the
HUAC affair. However, there
are no enforcement procedures
in these guidelines.
The board is also presently
undertaking an investigation of
the charges concerning the sen-
ior editors of The Daily. But
like work on the general guide-
lines-almost four years in the
making-the investigation will
likely be a slow process.
Meanwhile, uncertainty con-
tinues to shoud the status of
student records.
r"
f:.
Literary college students form government
By SHARON WEINER
Eventual student parity on all literary
college committees and, therefore, an
equal student voice in all literary'college
academic and administrative decisions
is one of the goals of the newly-created
LSA Student Government."
The Government was created last
April when literary college students rat-
ified its constitution during SGC elec-
tions.
Ultimately, the government will con-
sist of three parts:
-The executive council, which will
appoint members to positions on college
governing bodies, make rules governing
the conduct of students of the college,
and appoint members to the proposed
LSA student judiciary;
-The college assembly, composed of
about 100 students representing the
v a r i o u s departments in the college,
which will initiate or force reconsidera-
tion of legislation for the executive
council; and
--The student judiciary, which will
have original jurisdiction over cases in-
volving violations of LSA student gov-
ernment rules.
The exact powers of the judiciary are
yet to be defined. There is agreement
that it should hear "non-academic"
cases, but confusion centers around them
definition of "non-academic." Students
claim all cases other than cheating or
related crimes are non-academic, while
faculty members, on the whole, include
class disruptions in the academic cate-
gory
So far, the executive council is the
only branch operating. Its president,
vice president, and 10 members were
elected by literary college students in
April. Fifteen out of the possible 100
assembly members have been seated
The government is oriented toward
working students into the University,
structure itself-with the hope of mak-
ing long-range institutional changes.
"Establishing ourselves in itself -is
substantive because our existence will
provide the mechanism which will in-
itiate change on issues," explains, the
government's newly-elected president,
David Brand, '72.
"We've got to work our way into the
faculty's committee system in order to
bring about curricular and administra-
tive reforms," he adds.
For example, Brand says, some pos-
sible reforms include:
-Granting extra-curricular credit for
such activities as working on student
theatre groups, publications and many
other student activities;
-Expanding the Course Mart. Either
a teacher or a student can currently
submit an idea for a course to the liter-,
ary college Curriculum Committee. Stu-
dents must find a faculty member to
lead the class, and faculty members
must be able to guarantee enough stu-
dent interest to support the class. Hope-
fully, Brand says, the scope of, courses
can be expanded;
-Allowing non-academic p e o p le to
teach for credit. As an example, Brand
points to classes taught by students in
the Free University;
-Publishing a "literary school news-
letter" that would inform students of
issues in the college and the executive
council; and
' -Establishing a "political radio pro-
gram" to discuss problems of the liter-
ary college and the campus in general.
Brand has also suggested "distriibut-
ing literature in classes, mobilizing stu-
dents behind certain causes, and having
representatives on the council speak to
administrators and faculty members on
issues of importance."
The LSA Student Government has
prepared a d e t a i1e d structural plan
which calls for a student-faculty council
which would take primary responsibility
for governing the literary college away
from only the faculty. The council, in
this plan, could be overruled by either
the government or by the faculty.
Over the summer, an ad hoc student-
faculty commission met to draft plans
concerning the specific power of the
newly-formed government., O n c e the
group decides upon a proposal, it will be
submitted to the literary college faculty.
The predecessor of the student gov-
ernment was the LSA Student Assem-
bly, which, before it was dissolved, pro-
posed two reforms, neither of which has
been acted upon.
The Assembly asked that students be
granted parity 'on the administrative
board of the literary college, which acts
as the disciplinary arm of the college in
cheating and disruption cases, and that
non-academic disciplinary cases be tried
by a student judiciary, and not the ad-
ministrative board.
The faculty is scheduled to act on the
administrative board proposal this fall,
and the dispute over the powers of a
student judiciary has not yet been re-
solved. "We're still arguing about that
proposal," Brand explains.
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