A bud By JOHN ELLIS MOST PEOPLE would agree that bud- get-cutting is neither easy n o r pleasant. No matter how distasteful a responsibility, serious questions about the proces naturally arise. With regard to impending cuts within the University: ® What are the basis on which decis-' ions will be made? To what extent will "expedience" be the operating princi- ple? * Which groups will be represented in determining these basis? * Will any parts of this process be public? Will the University community be encouraged to consider which of its activities should be preserved? This is the contingency stage of budget- cuting but the hard decisions are near. It might be useful to see what tentative answers have emerged. The Daily recently reported that LS&A is considering the elimination of the Pilot Program if the Literary College is forced to cut its budget by four percent, rather than a possible two percent. THE PILOT PROGRAM is an experi- mental unit of LS&A where courses are offered for freshpeople and sophomores who live in Alice Lloyd Hall. Most of its $44,000 budget pays the salaries of 18 graduate students who teach these cours- es and who live in Alice Lloyd. Four reasons have been mentioned as possible justifications for terminating the Pilot Program. ! It is "axeable" since no tenured positions are involved. * Its innovativeness has given it poli- tical enemies on the committees which make budget cuts. A It is not a part of the "core" of the University's educational activity. 0 The program, in its thirteenth year, has lost its appeal for current students. How do these stand up as bases for making a budget cut? THE FIRST REASON seems plaus- able on the surface. The budget can not be cut where positions cannot be elim- inated. This leaves the non-tenured facul- ty, teaching fellows and staff vulnerable. In this sense, everyone in these groups is "axeable". Two questions immediate- ly arise. First, should people be cut at all, i.e., where can cuts in non-salary budgets be made? Second, where should the personnel budget be cut, if it is get surgeon's primer necessary? What becomes clear is that being axe- able is not a distinctive characteristic of the Pilot Frogram. Among those posi- tions not protected, which are expend- able? Here the second reason looms. One of the most unpleasant possibilities is the use of a budget cut to cloak poli- tical retribution. Despite repeated denials by the LS&A dean's office, it is difficult to ignore that the Pilot Program has long been opposed by those elements in the College which now suggest that it be terminated for financial reasons. If back room politics is not the basis for this suggestion, what is? The last two reasons are relevant. WHAT IS THE core of the University's educational activity? The suggestion that the Pilot Program might not be a part came from the LS&A dean's office and the six faculty members on the LS&A Executive Committee. Shall the definition of this core be their responsibility, or should a larger segment of the Uni- versity community be involved? One question which would be a part of a public consideration of the broad bases for budgetary decisions is the rela- tive value of innovation to the life of the College. Extensive funding of innovative programs could be viewed as a luxury in hard times. However, the Pilot Program costs two- tenths of one per cent of the LS&A bud- get (according to the University's official financial report). Precisely because its staff is entirely teaching fellows, t h e Pilot Program has the lowest cost-per- credit-hour of any unit in LS&A. IT MAY NOT be a coincidence that no students are members of the LS&A Executive Committee, or even permitted to be present, and that student disinter- est in Pilot was seriously considered. Since he story of its proposed elimination was leaked to the Daily less than two weeks ago, the Pilot Program has receiv- ed a degree of student support rare in recent times. The protests have not only been from present and former Pilot stu- dents, but from many others. Current students may be more career- oriented and fewer interested in an edu- cation experiment for themselves. How- ever, the spontaneous student support for the Pilot Program seems to indicate that a sizeable group of students does want what Pilot ofers, and an even larg- 'You don't have an inferiority complex. You are inferior.' ~U~ £rti 3zrn atM Eighty-four years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Friday, January 31, 1975 News Phone: 764-0552 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104 Sacred cows and knives er number of students feel that the existence of the Pilot Program may en- rich their own education. MANY OF THE ideas in the report of the Dean's Commission on Graduation Requirements in LS&A were influenced by the work of the program over the last thirteen years, and recent innova- tions in academic counseling throughout LS&A had their origin in Alice Lloyd., The whole has always been greater than the sum of its financial pares at Pilot. Much of the program represents ao additional cost to the UniversityExam- piles are Pilot sections of regular LS&A courses and a whole range of activities which have made Alice Lloyd Hall the highest rated dormitory by its residents for years (according to official surveys conducted by the Housing Office). With the rising costs of university education, rarely is so little spent for so much. The example of the Pilot Program may not be indicative of how LS&A or the University as a whole will approach the cutting of its budget. It does point out some of the dangers. Perhaps precisely because budget-cuting is so difficult a task, it must be shared broadly. John Ellis is a graduate student in higher education and a former Pilot Pro- "ram staff member. FACED WITH A FOUR per cent cut in state funds. University officials have reacted predictably by threat- ening newer, innovative academic programs with severe cutbacks or virtual annihilation. Apparently, the administration would prefer to see such experimental efforts as the Pilot Program, Course Mart or Women's Studies feel the pinch before sacred cows like administrative costs are slashed. Although some students, particu- larly those enrolled in Pilot, have made their opinions heard on the is- sue, the fact remains that the de- cision on cutbacks will probably be reached by "higher" authorities, if, in fact a decision has not already been made. As administrators continue to back down on many of the liberal re- forms passed in the late '60's, it's be- coming obvious that officials have never particularly cared for those in- novations, and would just as well like to see them eliminated. While the im- mediate future may look bleak, par- ticularly as a result of the current financial problems, students can at least take some consolation in know- ing for sure who their real friends and opponents are. --JEFF SORENSEN Bomb Killing for peace? T LOOKS LIKE the Weather Un- derground is at it again, this time with a bombing at the State Department in Washington and an attempted bombing in Oakland, Cali- fornia, apparently protesting U. S. support of the Saigon regime. These actions are senseless. Vio- lence is, after all, a tactic which is used only when sense and reason fail. But just as senseless is the Ad- ministration's plan for escalating U. S. involvement in Indochina. The war was supposed to be over two years TODAY'S STAFF: News: Susan Ades, Gordon Atcheson, Dan Biddle, Barb Cornell, Anne Marie Lipinski, Rob Meachum, Jim Nicoll, Steve Selbst, Suanne Tiberio Editorial Page: Marnie Heyn, S t e v e Ross, Steve Stojic Arts Page: George Lobsenz Photo Technician: Steve Kagan ago - "peace ber? with honor," remem- The only difference between these forms of violence is where they take place, one in a "patriotic building" and one all over a subcontinent thousands of miles away. Unfortun- ately, Americans have an unfortunate tendency to ignore nastiness until it erupts in their own back yard. IT IS GOING TO take a joint effort by everyone involved, including our Secretary of State, to clear up this mess. Congress must assume con- trol of the purse strings. Henry Kis- singer must forsake his megalomani- cal plan for a pax Americana. And the Weather Underground should find less violent ways to protest. And most importantly, The Ameri- can people must finish the work of ending long-distance violence over there. -ROB MEACHUM ROTC To TheIDaily: IN THE interest of objectiv- ity, I would like to clarify Step- hen Hersh's article on the ROTC mass meeting held Wednesday. (Daily, 1/30/75). After considerable empty dis- cussion during which many peo- pie left the meeting in disgust, two proposals for acti,)n were brought forward. In the opinion of many "hese two motions could have easily been meshed into one the-eby gi n g , t h e committee a tronkgtr bate of unity. The adopted proposal is based on the assumption that student sentiment is not radi- c a] enough to sustain the de- mand that ROTC be kick d off campus, therefore in the course of the protes: we can only "de- mand that the issue be raised." This clever bit of soph stry is a fine example of the reformism a few people used to cloud the I issue. The second proposal it ex- plained by Hersn, was based on the fact that the ROTC issue is not an isolated quest or of academic credit, but rather is a symptom of a crisis-ridder cap- italist system trying to save it- self througn stepped up military aggression. We see this oemon- stration in the context of a growing student movement to opose the system. The demand to stop credit iL only a step in the direction of getting ROTC off campus. By limiting itself to the crew" issue the commit- tee is contributing to the very anathy it claims is so pervasive. I 'night add that the poorly pub- licized meeting is more likely to be responsible for the turnout than a lack of anti-ROTC senti- ment. IN SHORT, the sweet-liberal arguments to focus on the issue of credit and getting wishy- washy liberal professors out to vote, insult the students' ability to see this issue for what it is. ROTC supplies the milrary with over % of its officers. The mili- tary must turn about recent trends in the direction of declin- ing ROTC enrollment in order to save the U.S. imperialist sys- tem. Reoewed aggression in the Middle East and Vietnam are timely ex'mples of this coun- try's desptrate situation. RO'l., being summoned to the rescue, wants t.i enhance its legitimacy dwith aademic credit. Studeni oposed i o ItOTC on any grounds must )e un ted and it dIitant if our den,-mriw are to be taken erioj v" M a conservative fa- Letters or not to restore credit to ROTC, I must say a few words. I was a University student dur- ing the years 1969-73. As some of you might recall, 1969.70 was a year of much concentrated student effort against the war in Southeast Asia - and against ROTC. That year was the last in a decade of student protest against war and the military as being imniot al, oppressi m,, ty- rannical. Many students were awakened to the horror of the military t s they were being faced with the threat of being drafted intn the war in South* east Asia. Others were also see- ing the atr .:ity of U.S. involve- ment in Viet N am - they saw the U.S. as being responsjblo for backing a corrupt regime and helping to ruin a land anda ts people, to the profit of war- mongering corporations. These aroused people joined together toi oppose the military and the e: stence of ROTC on campus. W th such strong student senti- ment, there was no way that LSA could have done anything but strip Ro .)C of University cre.it. NOW, IN 19' with st u'de n t apathy regircing polil. " af. fT.'is, the mater of RO1C credit is resurrected. And the LSA S aclaty w'm lean in favr of RO' C have a chance to gain favor for ROTC, because the in- tellectual community here is morally weak, after a period of inflammatory activity against immoral institutions, such as the war machine. The flame has grown dimmer - and the pro- posal to give ROTC credit was able to get through the LSA Cur- riculatm (C(mmittee. There was not enouh -voices to op,) se it. I gradu ved from the Umryr - sity in 1)3. I was in App '.achia this past y-, r; I just recently returnedl tr Arn Arbor. I saw the ev'i dinn of multi national corpvations in Appalaci A- and I sce it here, backing the U.S. rmihtar a institutions and war research. And I see a fine institution. the Universi y back ing .hese same activities. As a child who blossomed in the late 1960's. it maaes me sad to see all the ,ibe'ating organizirn of the 6.; 'a, haphazard and cha- otic as u m ,r have bee ,- Oun- done now. STUDENTS of the 1970's: -- speak to any faculty ?e:,;s you Brow n the final ho irs be- fore tho(r : ute and aO e' 1SA acuny meeting, \lni lay, Feb. 3, at 4:00 p m., An: K ", offer clearly intended to be re- fused. That the Administration would deliberately not hire an eminently qualified scientist and administrator for the LS&A deanship, and deliberately fail to take advantage of an histori- cal opportunity to follow through on its publicly acknowledged commitment to affirmative ac- tion, is insulting not only to Dr. Cobb, but to all individuals in the University community who are concerned about the persist- ence of sexism and racism at this insttution. As graduate studentsbwe are angry and frightened by t h e Administration's apparent repud- iation of its commitment to af- firmative action. As members of GEO we can testify that he in- transigence of the Administra- tion in collective bargaining on affirmative action for graduate employees is yet another exam- ple of the hypocrisy characteris- tic of its commitment to justice for all women and minorities. We hope that this outrage will be prevented from achieving its aim by the indignation and pres- sure of all individuals commit- ted to affirmative acton at this institution. -Anne Locksley (Psychology) Marti Halpern (History) Basil Allen (American Culture) Members of GEO Fair Practices Committee January 29 To The Daily: I AM A black faculty member at Michigan and like so many of your readers I have been follow- ing your coverage of the Cobb- Administration controversy with mounting concern. Can a n y- thing less be concluded than that the Administration has be- haved rather badly throughout the entire affair? If the Ad- ministration ever really intend- ed to offer Jewel Cobb the posi- tion of Dean of LS&A in good faith that point has long been lost in the present confusion. It appears instead that the Ad- ministration, despite the Re- gents' firm go ahead, never planned for Cobb to occupy this very powerful post. Indeed, to offer anyone the deanship with- out a guarantee of tenure is a pat on the head that certainly Cobb could not have mistaken for anything else. Sadly, I find this rvealing dis- play of public foot-shuffling put on by President Fleming and Vice President Rhodes an af- already been done; why make things any worse? -,. H. Owens Assistant Prfessor of History January 26 Kent State To The Daily: ON NOVEMBER 8, the eight national guardsmen who killed four students and wounded 9 others on May 4, 1970, were ac- quitted. Thegrounds were that there was not enough evidence upon which to try them for the "violation of the civil rights" of the students. This cynical con- clusion is supposed to leave the people satisfied that "justice" has been done. It is sickening that even the men who pulled the trigger to murder four students in cold blood have been let off by the courts, but it should come asno surprise. The acquittal comes in the wake of similar inci- dents. William Calley has just been released from prison. And Nixon, number one spokesman for U.S. imperialism during the height of the war and the shoot- ings at Kent State and Jackson State, is nursing his phlebitis on a pension worth thousands of dollars a year, and a total par- don to boot. When the case of the Kent State shootings was taken into court, many people sincerely hoped that justice would be done. But the courts have proven to be a weapon used against the people just as the national guard was. Following the mur- ders, 25 Kent students were in- dicted. This slanderous attempt to blame the shootings upon its victims was met by such op- position across the country that the case had to be thrown out. Then, last year, eight guards- men were indicted. The guards- men must be held accountable for their actions. But the indict- ments and all the publicity around them were an attempt to let the higher ups (like Rhodes) go free and whitewash the fact that an imperialist war, which included massive bomb- ing in Cambodia, had caused the nationwide demonstrations that led to the shooting at Kent and Jackson State. NOW THAT even tme guards- men have been let of the hook it has become clearer than ever that in this society, "justice" means pardons, dismissals, and acquittals for those who serve the system and its rulers well. But for the students who pro- to The Daily continues to mean frameups, po- lice attacks, jailing, and mur- der at the hands of the protec- tors of "law and order." In- creasingly, Black and other Third World people have borne the brunt of violent repression, while for working peo-4, as a whole, "justice" has come to mean unemployment, inflation, and attacks on the basic right to strike. And students aren't im- mune either - tuition hikes, fin- ancial aid cuts, and rising food and gas prices have hit us too. SUPPOSEDLY THE case of Kent State is now closed. But for us it is not and neither are the cases of Jackson State and Southern U. We students a r e not weak. The power of the anti- war movement was an aid to the struggle of the Indochinese against imperialism; and it shook up this country's ruling class, while spreading anti-war senti- ment to millions of Americans. The force of this and other movements which have recent- ly shaken this country is exact- ly the reason why the ruling class has gone to such lengths- from the use of arms to the use of the courts - to squelch them and make us feel afraid to stand up! Our answer to this must be to continue and build the fight against all oppression and ex- ploitation. The continued white- wash of the murder of the Kent State students, including the re- cent acquittals, must be answer- ed by the demand that the real criminals be indicted! -revolutionary Student Brigade December 21 dorm rates To The Daily: ON JANUARY 23 and again on January 24, 1975 Glen Aller- hand reports my alleged views relative to the Regents approv- ing an increase in residence hall rates for 1975-76. Mr. Al- lerhand's statements on my views are erroneous and inflam- matory. Mr. Allerhand was con- fronted by me concerning his first erroneous report on Jan- uary 23. He admitted his error to me yet on January 24 repeat- ed similar false statements. Rates in Univeristy residence halls are established by the Re- gents. On January :6, 1975 the Regents were presented with conies of the Rate Study Co-n- mittee report which recom- mends a rate decrease and hQard the views of Mr. Richard Munson, the principal author of DE1EN-rEr