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Eighty-four years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Thursday, February 13, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Cut off aid to Thieu govt.
ONCE AGAIN, THE Ford Adminis-
tration has chosen to display its
somewhat twisted sense of priorities.
Defense secretary James Schlesinger
has announced that his Department
plans to continue aiding the Thieu
regime, for at least another two years,
and will request $1.4 billion in aid to
Saigon for next year.
"We must not abandon our ally," is
the cry being raised by Pentagon
propagandists. Which raises a very
interesting question: What is the
nation that claims to be the bulwark
of the world's freedom doing in an
alliance with the likes of Thieu?
Thieu and freedom are antithetical
concepts.
Recently, the Saigon government
finished another in its continuing
series of crackdowns on the press,
closing eight newspapers that had
offered mild criticism of the regime.
The Tiger Cages are too well known
to bear recounting here. But for all
the repressive nature of his govern-
ment, Thieu is not a communist, and
thereby merits an American subsidy.
America loves dictatorships, so long
as they are not communist dictator-
ships. The Shah of Iran is about as
democratic as Genghis Khan, so, na-
turally, he becomes the bulwark of
American interests in the Persian
Gulf. Mussolini would be comfortable
with the political philosophy of the
Chilean colonels, but they draw an
American subsidy that was denied
the democratically elected Allende
regime.
Gerald Ford loves dictatorships, so
much in fact that he feels them more
worthy of aid than the American
poor. Ford's budget included a price
raise for Food Stamps, a ceiling of
five per cent on Social Security bene-
fit hikes, a cut of 1.5 billion in social
service programs, and an increase in
aid for South Vietnam.
To put it mildly, this does not make
much sense, and it is heartening to
see that Congress is not allowing it-
self to be fooled. Congress recently
cut the Administration's $1.4 billion
aid request for South Vietnam in half,
thus incurring the wrath of Schlesin-
ger, who claimed that the aid cut
would not "enhancetour credibility or
demonstrate our resolve."
He is right. Cutting off aid to Sai-
gon would demonstrate that the
United States is weakening in its
resolve to prop up any dictatorship
that calls itself anti-communist. And
that would not be such a bad idea.
-THE DAILY STAFF
GEO
By DAVID GORDON While
and MARK KAPLAN ant iss
S OF 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, issues
the GEO, representing 2,- Non
200 teaching assistants, research fusest
assistants, and staff assistant, "sexua
officially went on strike against non-di
the University. reserv
What has forced the GSA's in- inatea
to taking such drastic action? al cou
GEO was certified as the of- Clas
ficial bargaining agent f o r refuse
GSAs in a MERC-sponsored this is
certification election last April. the m
For eight months GEO nego- mentc
tiated with the University ad- tion h
ministration in an attempt to the sa
win its first contract. threate
On January 21, mediation of crease
the contract talks broke down, priceo
officially creating an impasse and in
between the two parties. GEO, thosev
in an attempt to avoid a strike to cons
that would interrupt the educa- ject ti
tional process, suggested b o t h a GSA
sides submit their proposals to Rec.
a third party empowered to ad- es ush
judicate the dispute with a bind- unit an
ing decision. contra
The University rejected this their j+
proposal of binding arbitra.on anionI
out of hand. The union felt ar- classifi
bitration would offer a solution protec
without confrontation, though a clau
we realized arbitration c o u I d Unio
jeopardize certain of our de- es that
mands, especially those affect-
ing quality of education. We
were willing to make this com-
promise. le
IN RESPONSE to our corm- pre
promise offer, the Administra-
tion presented its fact-finding ate
plan: to wait up to two m,,nths sttr
for a third party's recommenda-
tions swh ich the administ- anion
has made no commitment :a fol- ditiono
low. Such a course of a:tion higher
would place us in the .ilme Unionf
position in April as we are in everyI
today. gaining
In the past two weeks GEO wotild
has held three large and en- gotiatio
thusiastic mass meetings. Dur- who wt
ing the same period, faculty would
have put increased pressure on ure of
the "U" to make its position Univer
at the table more flexible. Uni- every
versity officials often talk about enjoys
the need for rational discus- Affir
sions, and deny that pressure fusesft
can influence them. Their be-
havior belies those pronounce- already
ments. Unfortunately, :he only tion p1
thing they respond to is nres- formti
sure. i frWhile
Itis for this reason that GEO Up 8 p
has been forced to take strike body,
action. cent of
What are the issues separat- pronos
ing GEO from the adminisTra- uation.
tion? In a statement to faculty Majo
senate on Friday, Pressilant on the
Fleming said that essenlially In an4
economics is the only real is- from t
sue. That is simply not so. standin
gives
economics is an import-
sue, serious non-economic
are also at stake:
-dicrimination: the 'U' re-
to include the category of
al preference" in r h e
scrimination clause, thus
ing the right to discrim-
against gays in the nor m-
rse at "U" affairs.
s size: the University has
d even to bargain about
sue which is so crucial to
aintainance and improve-
of the quality of educa-4
ere at the U of M. At
rme time, as the University
tens that any wage in-
will be bought at the
of reducing the work force
nereasing work loads for
who remain, they refuse
sider class size as a sub-
hat should be included in
As' contract.
ognition: the "U" propos-
hering people out of the
nd the protection of CEO's
ct simply by changing
job title. More than one
has seen its members re-
ied out from under its
tion by agreeing to such
se as the "U" offers.
n security: GEO propos-
t each GSA pay, as a crtn-
eight per cent increase effec-
tive September, 1974, an &ddi-
tional five per cent, effective
January, 1975, and seven per
cent, effective September, 1975.
We asked that, in lieu of tui-
tion, GSAs pay a $200 per term
fee to the University.
The administration has, mere-
ly offered what former V i c e
President Allen Smith effered a
year ago: increases equivalent
to the faculty! Contraey to Pie-
sident Fleming's allegations,
CEO's proposals constitu~e a
unified package. When we re-
quest a contract, we are peak-
ing of more than simply money.
We are asking everybody at the
University to honor our picket
lines. We believe no student
honoring GEO picket lines
should be placed in a position of
competitive academic disadvan-
tage with respect to any other
student. We are thus asking fa-
culty, whether sympathetic to
our strike or not, to respect
the students' decision and not to
issue reprisals against those
who honor GEO lines.
IN THE LAST analysis, our
strike centers on the issue of
University priorities. We see
strike
stance
GEO strike:W.
wins, who lose's?
By WAYNE JOHNSON
Undergraduates would support the GEO strike a lot more if they
believed it could somehow help them. But what does the average
undergrad have to gain from boycotting classes? Nothing.
If any concessions are made by the University on class size,
they will be minimal. The goal of twenty-five students per section
is very nice but very unreasonable considering the University's
financial problems. Obviously a lot of waste can be cut from the
budget, but I doubt enough can be saved to hire the additional
graduate students a twenty five person limit would require.
Vni'ersity officials often talk about the
rd for rational discussions and deny that
ssure can influence them . . . Unfortun-
ly, the only thing they respond to is pres-
e."
Who has a better idea?
THER'S A LOT of hot air blowing
around in the upper echelons of
government these days. Both Presi-
dent Ford and Congress have spent
the last month hurling charges and
counter-charges at each other's eco-
nomic proposals.
Tuesday night, the President ac-
cused Congress of delaying solutions
to the country's crisis, while the leg-
islature has vowed not to coooper-
ate with Ford's program because of
its "ineffective" nature. Even Senate
Republican leader Hugh Scott of
Pennsylvania has now jumped ship
and declared his opposition to Ford's
economic package.
Unfortunately, however, Congress
has not come up with a comprehen-
sive alternate to Ford's proposals-
which doesn't make for a very
strong case when the opposition has
a detailed plan down in paper and
ink.
To date, the only legislative answer
to Ford's 167 page energy/economic
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Glen Allerhand, Ellen Breslow,
Dave Burhenn, Tom Preston, S a r a
Rimer, Stephen Selbst
Editorial Page: Barbara Cornell, Paul
Hoskins, Debra Hurwitz, W a y n e
Johnson, Greg Rest
Photo Technician: Karen Kasmauski
Arts Page: Chris Kochmonski
WCOM 70 C9ANNEL 34 APPY
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program has been a four-page paper
in protest of his ordered $3 per bar-
rel in foreign oil import fees. Such
response can hardly be termed an
economic alternative. '
Congress has spent a majority of
its time criticizing Ford's program
without drawing up one of its own.
Although the criticisms are justified,
vocal dissatisfaction is only the first
step in rectifying Ford's budget pro-
posal - which favors defense and
armaments rather than social serv-
ices and human concerns.
It's about time for Congress to
stop mouthing high-sounding plati-
tudes and spineless criticisms and
start devising a well-reasoned, com-
prehensive economic plan before
Ford's program is foisted on the
American people because there was
no alternative.
--THE DAILY STAFF
Editorial Staff
GORDON ATCHESON CHERYL PILATE
Co-Editors-in-Chief
LAURA BERMAN........Sunday Magazine Editor
DAVID BLOMQUIST ... .. .. Arts Editor
DAN BORUS ...........Sunday Magazine Editor
BARBARA CORNELL ... Special Projects Editor
PAUL HASKINS..............Editorial Director
JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY ....... Features Editor
SARA RIMER ...................Executive Editor
STEPHEN SELBST.................City Editor
JEFF SORENSEN .............Managing Editor
STAFF WRITERS: Glen Ailerhand, Peter Blats-
dell, Dan Blugerman, Clifford Brown, David
Burhenn, Mary Harris, Stephen Hersh,
Debra Hurwitz, Ann Marie Lipinski, Andrea
4OW AAOUT 1415? THE 3I
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of employment, a fee (no
than Union dues) to the
for the service it rend-rs
GSA as his or her har-
g agent. This oropos il
distribute the cost of ne-
ons fairly among those
ould benefit from it, and
assure the union a rmeas-
financial securr . The
sity rejects this, although
other union on campus
such protection.
mative action:the 'U' re-
to include GSAs in its
y existing affirmative ac-
rogram, written to c o n-
with H-EW g utdelines,
minority students iake
er cent of the graduate
they comprise only 4 per
f the GSA popular, )~n. Our
al is to remedy this sit-
r differences also exist
question of eionomics.
attempt to elevate GSAs
he lowest Big Tel salary
ng, GEO has proposed an
as a major thrust of our strike
the reorientation of University
priorities towards the needs of
previously neglected constituent
groups in the University com
munity. In the light of this, CEO
is heartened by the support oth-
er sectors of the community
have given us.
On , Monday, Faculty Senate
urged GEO to postpone our
strike for two days. Why did we
refuse? GEO had been negotiat-
ing for eight months with the
Administration; we had already
postponed our strike vote six
days to give the Administration
more time to bargain fairly with
us.
It was not until we initiated
a strike vote that the Admin-
istration bargained seriously
with us. Wenegotiated 1 on g
hours over the weekend without
the Administraion making an
offer that was acceptable. Con-
trary to Fleming's statement to
the faculty senate, substantial
differences remain. Contrary to
the oninion of the Faculty Sen-
ate, these differences could not
have been settled in two days
of further negotiations.
WHAT HAS been gained at
the table has come as a direct
result of pressure put on the
University. At this point, it is
CEO's feeling that quick agree-
ment will come only by main-
taining and increasing the pres-
sure on the administration. If
pressure is maximized, our
strike will be a short one. No
one enjoys the disruption of the
educational process.
David Gordon and Mark
Kaplan are GEO spokesmen
and former negotiators.
If the administration does relent on class size, who will pay for
the extra TFs? The GEO has a simple answer: not the students.
But if not the students, then who? Will secret Arab money be
floating in soon? Will contributors abandon the United Negro
College Fund and give to good ol' U of M instead? No, tuition will
f rise and the grads will shrug their shoulders, an international
t gesture meaning "too bad, sucker."
After all, the GEO also demands a $200 fee in lieu of tuition for
its members. While they might fail to win the decrease, which
y demand will be abandoned first, class size or $200 per term?
Only the negotiators know for sure.
The argument that better pay will mean better Graduate Student
Assistants is a difficult one for undergrads to decipher. They
know from experience the low level of competency held by many
GSAs. Perhaps a higher wage would eventually attract "better"
e graduates. But once again, what good are better TFs if you can't
afford the tuition? Undergrads, it seems, would not benefit much
from higher paid instructors.
So far these thoughts have been intensely pragmatic and not
entirely fair. Obviously better wages, job security and a fee
instead of tuition would raise the standard of living for the harried
v SAs. They do deserve better than their present deal which'
requires them to pay their employers for the job they hold.
But these are not issues with which undergraduates need con-
cern themselves. By refusing to hold classes and enlisting the
- support of other unions. GSAs will win their demands for higher
pay. The boycott of all classes is a diversion with little meaning
to the center struggle.
Undergraduates are mere transients, bodies that fill seats and
take notes. If 75 per cent of the bodies don't .how up, there is no
loss except to themselves. A university is not a factory that can
be closed down by stopping production. The product is education,
obtainable from books as well as live sources. If a TF doesn't
show up for class, the students are absolved of blame. It just
isn't fair to equate those classes with ones taught by professors
that meet no matter what.
I noticed a lot of students trying to rationalize their attendance
to the strikers. Inevitably they were told that crossing a picket
line is a sin no matter how you look at it. Don't accept this ex-
planation unless unionism runs through you like blood. To support
the GEO, undergrads are only compelled to'say aloud, "I support
the GEO." Anything else is wasted ;effort. No reason for you
to suffer for people who stand outside in such cold weather. They
can do it all themselves with no loss of efficiency.
Wayne Johnson is a staff writer for the Editorial Page.
Letters: Faculty members boost GEO
To The Daily: '
WE, THE undersigned mem-
bers of the university faculty
community wish to express sup-
port for our colleagues in the
GEO in their effort to improve
the conditions of employment
for graduate employees. We
regret that no way has been
found to avert a disruptive
strike. In our view the respon-
sibility for the current impasse
lies primarily with the univer-
sity administration, for having
consistently denied the GEO the
respect and consideration to
which all members of the uni-
versity community are entit-
led. We therefore call upon the
administration to bring the
strike to an immediate end by
meeting essentially tne tc.ms
proposed by the GEO. AJldkion-
al faculty members wishing to
associate themselves with this
statement are urged to tele-
phone Thomas Weisskopf .t 662-
8274.
W. H. Locke Anderson (Eco-
nomics), Alton Becker (Linguis-
tics), Frithjof Bergman (Phil-
osophy), Ann Borkin (Linguis-
tics), Charles Bright (History),
John Catford (Linguistics), Dav-
id Chambers (Law), Mark Ches-
Hamilton (English), Max Heir-
ich (Sociology), William H u n t
(History), Jol Isaacson (History
of Art).
Robin Jacoby (History), De-
borah Keller-Cohen (English
Language Institute), Kenneth
Langton (Political Science),
John Lawler (Linguistics), Ron-
ald Lee (Economics), Harold
Livesay (History), Margaret
Lourie (English), Jean Mann
(Psychology), Richard M a n n
(Psychology), Michael Manove
(History), Elizabeth M e e s e'
(Economics), Bruce McGowan
(English), Alfrey Meyer (Poli-
tical Science), Richard M i t-
chell (History).
Andre Modigliani (Sociology),
Theodore Newcomb (Psychol-
ogy/Sociology), Bernard Niet-
schmann (Geography), 11. L.
Owens (History), Elizabeth
Pleck (History), Joseph Pleck
(Psychology), Charles Pyle
(Linguistics), Leonard Radin-
sky (Zoology), J. Duncan Ro-
bertson (Romance Languages),
Kenneth Shapiro (Natural Re-
sources), Tony Skillen (Phil-
osophy), Robert Sklar (His-
tory).
Michael Taussig (Anthropol-
ogy), Thomas Tentler (History),
Maude Walker (Anthropology),
ter today, the picket lines for
the GEO strike gradually di-
minished until they became non-
existent. That seems to be the
attitude of the faculty and rtu-
dents in the Medical and Nurs-
ing School (of which I ax a
part) - total apathy with re-
gard to the conflict between the
T.F.s and the University's ad-
ministration. In the past few
weeks, and presently, I haven't
heard one instructor or fellow
classmate of mine mention the
prevailing strike. All attitudes
have been expressed as, "We're
unaffected so why have an opin-
ion?" How convenient! The
medical profession has always
tried to achieve a separate and
elite status, and by not con-
tributing a thought to this in-
evitable situation, further o u r
distance. But, we are a part
of this University and should
take a stand in this strike, whe-
ther it be in favor of the T.F.s
or not. It's time to b r e a k
down these archaic and unne-
cessary barriers and become
aware of the. world outside our
own.
-Shari Kolodny
February 12, 1975
aanm-ain"
by their parents and the media,
are poorly equipped to deal with
the problems which will face
them and their environment in
the next twenty years. We are
said to be overly deoendent,
humorless, unrealistic and pas-
sive while parading as dynamic
moralists; a most disturbing
capsulization of *wa1.v-o n e
years of thoughtful existence.
After long and honest con -
eration of this tragic a ;sess-
ment, I discovered what annov-
ed me most about i's climds:
not the fact that judgernet (n
a generation so young and un-
tested as our own was pre'ua-
ture but rather that the observa-
tion was a painfully accurate
one. Even though introspecrion
can be a most devastating exer-
cise, indulgence in the soul-
searching process is cffen, as
now, necessary.
GIVEN our allegedly overde-
veloped capacity for self regard
along with our undeniably uit-
ical insight into the nyoxruosy
and corruption of -na.iy of our
most basic institutions, where
do we go from here? The ques-
tion bears repeating because
even though we are energetic
students gathering valuable data
future to be or are we, lilre the
Democrats, satisfied with a
a mere negation of the status
quo? My fear is that too many
of us are concentrating on the
pitfalls and failures of our sys-
tem without constructing a bet-
ter road back to good health,
without preparing for tne re-
sponsibility of participation
which will soon be ours, not as
naive bystanders but as con-
scientious adult activisLs. If
we don't know where we re go-
ing, it's my guess it won't be
worth the trip.
I REMEMBER the American
Revolutionists similarly had no
pattern for their future and
knew only what they didn't
want. But America has come a
long way, our frontier days are
behind us and more care and
responsibility is demanded of
us now than perhaps ever be-
fore. We really have no right to
give up hope - each time we
raise our foot to take the next
step we affirm our belief in
hope. I am unable to accept
failure by default and I do not
believe and never will believe
we are so coddled and pamper-
ed as to have lost all our ini-
tiative and spunk. I'm not call-
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