off the record
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Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students cit the University of Michigan
English
incentive plan
'a better idea'?
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
News Phone: 764-05521
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1973
UFW faces the real enemy
THE TENTATIVE agreement reached be-
tween the Teamsters and the United
Farm Workers establishing UFW juris-
diction over farm worker organizing may
finally allow the UFW to concentrate on
its real enemy: California growers.
For much of this year, the UFW bat-
tied on two fronts to retain its grape-
picking contracts, facing both the cus-
tomary grower opposition and the Team-
sters. When UFW grape contracts ex-
pired this year, many growers signed
with the Teamsters, as contract terms
specified markedly reduced benefits in
both in pay and noneconomic areas.
Prohibitions against the use of pesti-
cides, which kill several thousand farm
workers each year, were eliminated in
the Teamster contracts, as was the hir-
ing hall system of deciding who will
work. Grower - Teamster contracts re-
verted back to a labor contractor sys-
tem, in which kickbacks and favoritism
instead of seniority may determine who
works.
THE GROWER-TEAMSTER alliance ex-
tended as far as bribe-taking on the
part of some California Teamster offic-
ials. And when UFW pickets tried to in-
duce farm workers still in the fields to
strike with them this summer, they were
r . Mr4tgalt Daily
Editorial Staff
CHRISTOPHER PARKS and EUGENE ROBINSON
Co-Editors in Chief
DIANE LEVICK...........................Arts Editor
MARTIN PORTER..................... Sunday Editor
MARILN RILEY .........Associate Managing Editor
ZACHARY SCHILLER..............Editorial Director
ERIC SCHOCH......................Editorial Director
TONY SCHWARTZ ....................Sunday Editor
CHARLES STEIN..........................City Editor
TED STEIN......... ............ Executive Editor
ROLFE TESSEM......................Managing Editor
Business Staff
BILL BLACKFORD
Business Manager
RAY CATALINO ,...............Operations Manager
DAVE LAWSON..............Advertising Manager
BANDY FIENBERO...............Finance Manager
SHERRY KASTLE ..............Circulation Director
JIM DYKEMA.........sales & Promotions Manager
DEPT. MGRS.-Caryn Miller, Elliot Legow, Patti Wil-
kinson
ASSOC. MGRS.-Joan Ades, Linda Coleman, Linda
Cycowski, Steve LeMire, Sandy Wronki
ASST. MGRS.-Chantal Bancilhon, Roland Binker,
Linda Ross, Mark Sancrainte, Ned Steig, Debbie
Weglarz
STAFF-Ross Shugan, Martha Walker
SALESPEOPLE-Deva Burieson, Mike Treblin, Bob
Fisher, Debbie whiting, Alexandra Paul, Eric
Phillips, Diane Carnevale
Photogra phy Staff
DAVID MARGOLICK
Chief Photographer
KEN FINK ..,....................Staff Photographer
THOMAS GOTTLIEB ..............Staff Photographer
STEVE KAGAN................Staff Photographer
KAREN KASMAUSKI............Staff Photographer
TERRY McCARTHY ............Staff Photographer
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Chris Parks, Gene Robinson, J u d y
Ruskin, Steve Selbst
Editorial Page: Ted Hartzell, Z a c h a r y
Schiller, Eric Schoch
Arts Page: Diane Levick
Photo Technician: Ken Fink
attacked by Teamster - hired thugs as
well as being arrested by local sheriffs.
The Teamster decision to abandon its
effort to cripple the UFW can only im-
prove UFW prospects for both regaining
grape contracts and achieving success in
the lettuce fields as well.
UFW President Cesar Chavez made the
point plainly when he announced the
tentative agreement between the two
unions: "We and the growers can fight
it out."
THE UFW STRUGGLE, in a sense, is
thus beginning all over again. Some
contracts the Teamsters reportedly have
agreed to renounce will not expire until
1975, and many growers are as adamant
as ever that they will not accept union-
ization.
Moreover, large corporations increas-
ingly own the fields the UFW is organiz-
ing in, making it that much more diffi-
cult for the farm workers' union to exert
sufficient pressure to force a settlement.
The fact remains, however, that the
Teamster-UFW agreement allows the
UFW to once more turn its energies on
the growers. As Chavez said when the set-
tlement was announced, "Until 24 hours
ago we were fighting two giants, but now
we're only fighting one."
Law and order
-ITY POOR Spiro Agnew. Faced with
possible indictment for alleged crimes
while a Maryland politician, he has re-
sponded in the way he knows best - a
personal vituperative attack against As-
sistant Attorney General Henry Petersen.
Caught between unsympathetic court
decisions and an unsympathetic Presi-
dent, Agnew feels his position and pres-
tige so threatened that he has no recourse
but to attack the Justice Department for
doing its job.
Last Saturday, the Vice President re-
ceived a long standing ovation for a
speech in which he was seemingly trying
to discredit the Justice Department
probe. He accused Petersen of leaking al-
legations to the press, subjecting him to a
"kangaroo" trial. He charged that the
Justice Department, and especially Pet-
ersen, were trying to regain prestige by
prosecuting him. He did not find it neces-
sary to substantiate those charges, how-
ever.
Agnew's speech appears to be another
step in his attempt to quash any criminal
investigation of his past activities. The
Vice President has the same right as
any other person to defend himself, of
course. He should be given the presump-
tion of innocence until proven guilty.
He should not be presumed un-indict-
able until out of office, however, despite
his obvious feelings on the subject.
In view of his past support of main-
taining "law and order" in America, it is
ironic to watch his attempts to destroy
efforts to maintain "law and order" when
they apply to himself.
By TED STEIN
A SMOKE-FILLED meeting of
the board of directors of Gen-
eral Motors. The grizzled chairman
leans over the table. "Look, we're
really having trouble with o u r
trainee program," he says. "We
just can't get the recruits. What
can we do?"
Quickly a junior executive out-
lines a stock strategy. "We'll ex-
pand our incentive program and
reward performance," he suggests.
"We'll give cash awards and cir-
culate the best ideas submitted by
trainees in a newsletter to the
entire group."
The corporate mentality. B u t
suddenly, it is a University stra-
tegy. For if a newly approved
English department program gets
off the ground, just that kind of
commercial approach will be part
of the University's answer to the
desperate need for improved fresh-
man-level education.
IT IS NOT surprising, therefore,
that the English department h a s
gone out of its way to introduce
its own "incentive" program with-
out any fanfare. Says the plan's
author, English Prof. Walter Clark,
"It isn't any Watergate secret .. .
But sometimes it's better to start
doing something and then let peo-
ple find out about it."
The proposal was snappily ap-
proved by the literary college and
the English department chairman
over the summer. And with good
reason. For even on the face of
it, the idea is outrageous.
Under the provisions of the pro-
gram, the best papers selected by
teaching fellows in required fresh-
man courses-English 123 and 150,
and Great Books 191-will be cir-
culated among the 2,200 students in
a weekly newsletter. In addition,
money made available from t h e
Hopwood fund will enable the de-
partment to award about six cash
ments, the loss has been
proportional to the swellin
ranks.
Officially, the program
istrators downplay the re
role of the incentive. "V
to encourage some sense
munity," says Clark. "Stu(
be able to see what ather
are doing."
How heightened compet
create its antithesis - co
- is not clear. But if the
ale isn't convincing, try
"We've had Hopwood A'
a long time," Clark say
writing is done in the Univ
the freshman level . . .
inver ely why a freshman piece can't be
ig of BGS compared to a piece of senior crea-
tive writing." But there would
s admin- seem to be a light year's worth of
cruitment difference between a required
We'd like theme and a creative piece enter-
of c.m- ed in the Hopwood conteest.
dents will MORE PERNICIOUS than this
students is the tacit assumption that do-
ing something well must be recog-
ition will nized in some way. This is part
mmunity and parcel of any incentive system,
at :ation- but it is a crass way of drumming
another. up interest in English. The values
wards for of literature cannot be price-tag-
s. "Most ged, and to do so openly cheapens
versity on learning.
it makes What we have here is a sales
gimmick instead of a bold move to
substantially improve the fresh-'
well man program, which is a lot like
filling the cavity of a man suf-
par- fering from a coronary. It is not
i way particularly difficult to figure out
what's needed - smaller classes
and more participation f r o m
professors in anprogram currently
...... dominated by novice teching fel-
y there," lows.
ve money Moreover, the program contri-
ive them butes to the corporate mentality
which has already established it-
is Clark's self here. This kind of thinking
no reason leads Regents to view themselves
". . .the assumption that doing something
must be recognized in some way is part and
cel of any incentive system, but it is a crass
of drumming up interest in English."
arrogantly as a board of directors.
THE SUPPORT for the incentive
program shows a genuine concern
for the problem. As Clark admits,
"Freshman English is disliked by
many students."
In addition to the Hopwood mon-
ey, meanwhile, the literary college
has made funds available, and the
Center for Research on Learning
and Teaching, which services
faculty members, has provided a
grant of $1,500 to pay the 40 teach-
ing fellows who will be editing the
newsletter and awarding the cash
prizes.
With this much support for a
half-baked idea, it is certainly pos-
sible that a more substantive move
would receive similar backing, even
if it costs more.
FORTUNATELY, faculty mem-
bers involved in the freshmen pro-
gram met a week ago and some
strenuously objected to the plan.
It appears, therefore, that the pro-
gram will be modified if not com-
pletely scrapped.
This prospect is encouraging. For
the image of a university where
education is marketed like tooth-
paste is one that should make us
all shudder.
ebo
prizes totaling $100 each week.
THE NEW INCENTIVE pitch in-
dicates the nervousness felt by the
English department over the reduc-
tion of majors in the past few
years. Like other LSA depart-
sense to funnel some mone
he reasons. "Since we ha
to reward, why don't we g
some recognition."
At the heart of this linei
contention that there is"
Rent commission hi ts the cook,
By GORDON ATCHESON
THE CITY'S rent control commission met
again last Tuesday night to discuss the
housing situation in Ann Arbor but the
center of attraction was a box of cookies
sitting on the table.
After five months of work the commis-
sion attempted to re-establish-some kind of
goals during the Tuesday session. Not sur-
prisingly the tenant and landlord interests
could not agree on what the group ought
to be doing. The "neutral parties" kept
complaining that this had all been decided
when the members first got together.
Apparently, whatever objectives had been
delineated were forgotten in the heat of
summer. The commission, however, reach-
ed a consensus that the vanilla creams were
quite tasty.
City Council set-up the "Blue Ribbon Citi-
zens Committee on Rent Control" to study
the feasibility of artificial regulation to re-
duce the exorbitant rates charges by local
landlords and issue a report either for or
against such controls.
INSTEAD OF making recommendations
the group has followed the Peter Principle
to the letter by gathering data to prove
what just about every tenant already real-
izes.
Ask anyone on the street about rents
and the response will invariably be some-
thing along the lines of "it's incredible"
or "what a rip-off" or even a fatalistic
"Jesus Christ."
Probably the data is valuable and does
mean a great deal. Unfortunately, depend-
ing upon which commissioner one asks the
information proves direct opposites-"''rent
control is needed," "rent control can't be
the answer," and most popularly "the is-
sue requires much more study."
All the council members and the mayor
had been invited to the meeting. Only Jer-
ry De Grieck (HRP-First Ward) attend-
ed. He stormed out after declaring "I'm
glad I voted against this commission be-
cause this turned out to be just what I
thought it would be - nothing!"
Sandy Rauch, "a neurtal" turned to him
and sarcastically added "we feel the
same as you do."
ONE COMMISSIONER brought in a con-
crete proposal to reduce rents by altering
the method of mortgaging buildings. Merle
Crawford of the business school stood up
and paternalistically announced the plan
"obviously" could not work. He drew a
diagram on the chalk board and began his
lecture.
Like many profs he proved nothing and
took twenty minutes to do it. At least the
group knew there would be no exam at
the end of thedcourse. They just passed the;
cookies around again.
The week before, the commission approv-
ed "the spirit" of two proposals aimed at
encouraging more housing in the area but
not directly controlling cost to tenants.
Nonetheless, at the Tuesday meeting one
member explained, "We'll have to check
into them further to find out if we under-
stood what we were doing."
Another commissioner had to be reminded
that he had actually voted for the pro-
posals. Throughout the session, though,
various members did penance by apologiz-
ing for missing previous meetings and con-
sequently being unaware of specific issues
under consideration.
ADMITTEDLY, the commission is com-
prised of volunteers who don't have all the
time in the world. But they have been given
a responsibility which will apparently go
unfulfilled.
Hoping the commission could come up
with a definitive policy decisions was clear-
ly pie-in-the-sky idealism. During that "typ-
ical meeting" they bickered, hemmed and
hawed, and reached no conclusions.
Anything brought up for consideration
was kicked around for awhile and then
faded away without a formal decision ever
being made.
Rent control is too vital an issue to just
fade away in an over-heated conference
room on the fourth floor of City Hall. Sure,
the commission will eventually file a re-
port reinforcing what tenants already know
but probably won't have any definite re-
commendations for improving conditions.
Ultimately, the commission has . merely
proved that any bureaucracy, even a ten-
person bureaucracy, cannot squarely con-
front a given problem without strangling
it in red tape and then laying it to rest
under a mountain of reports which urge
more study.
For the record, by the end of the meet-
ing nearly all the cookiees had been eaten.
Gordon Atcheson is a Daily staff writer.
Schembechler:
Tough
but not obsessed
to s
By DAN BORUS
SATURDAY THE readers of this
page were treated to a delight-
ful fantasy by Co-Editors Christ-
opher Parks and Eugene Robinson
in which they argued that the basic
philosophy of Bo Schembechler was
grounds for his removal as head
coach of the University's football
team.
In their piece, the authors cite
the following deficiencies in Bo's
Football vision: that Schembechler
is obsessed with winning to such an
extent as to cloud all other values
and in that regard Bo Schem-
bechler deserves the nickname
"Little Woody", that Michigan foot-
ball is brutal and dull, that Mich-
igan is onaitsway to becoming a
football factory.
Though well-intentioned, the ef-
fort of Parks and Robinson falls
short. It falls short simple because
it does not address itself to either
the facts of the game or the per-
sonality of the coach their effort
vilifies.
IN MY CONTACTS with the man,
I have come to the conclusion that
Bo Schembechler is not W o o d y
Hayes. He does not tear up side
line markers, he does not adopt
a "nothing is wrong with football".
approach, nor does he compare
football with historical events like
crossing the Rubicon. Schembech-
ler is intense about football, but
he is not a maniac.
Football is simply a violent and
brutal game. It is based on the
jungle axiom of hit or be hit. It
is this fact that is responsible for
its mass appeal to the American
public.
THOSE WHO understand t h e
game realize that no aspect of the
game is without collision and vo
lence. Even the much heralded (at
least it is around here) passing
game has its lion's share of vio-
lence. It is violent to those line-
men who must be continually bat-
tered byhard-charging pass rush-
ers. It is violent to quarterbacks
who run the risk of the blindside
(a tackle which must rank as one
of the most brutal aspects of t h e
game). And it is violent to pass
receivers who can get hit at al-
most any moment and without any
protection once they get the bail.
To accuse Schembechler of ex-
cessive violence, then, makes lit-
tle sense in a game permeated by
it. Certainly Schembechler does not
urge his players to excessive acts
Saturday's article. Obsession iith
winning is destructive but I don't
read evidence of obsession into any
behavior of Schembechler's I have
seen during my work as sports edi-
tor.
No one can deny that Schem-
bechler yells at players, fellow
coaches and officials. But that is
not particularly odd, especially in
the heat of battle. Yelling on its own
is not evidence of obsession. Why,
I suspect even co-editors yell when
things do not go as hoped.
PARKS AND ROBINSON, it
seems to me, have committed a
mistake in assigning football a
moral quality. It has none. It is
not an allegory for life nortis life
an allegory for football. It is a
game in which tensions are sub-
limated and feelings are raised.
Vince Lombardi's famous dictum
that you win for God is ridi-
culous for the same reason. It may
be poetically a good device, but it
is not a good measure to judge the
merits of a football program.
There should be no fear that
Michigan will fall into the ranks of
the football factories of OSU, Tex-
as, et. al. The academic tradition
is much stronger here than at the
football factories. Students here,
perhaps because the outcome of
games is for the most part well
known, do not live and die with
the Maize and Blue. And could you
imagine Michigan students over-
turning Ohio cars on the day of
the OSU-Michigan game? I can't
and I don't think it will ever hap-
pen. It will be a sad occasion if
that happens in this town.
EVEN IN THE "unimaginative"
charge, Parks and Robinson mis-
state the point. To be sure, t he
running game as practiced by
Schembechler may not be crowd
pleasing, but to accuse him of a
lack of creativity is to ignore the
Gil Chapman end around against
Michigan State last year, the Paul
Seal pass off the tackle eligible
play against Purdue, the genius of
the quarterback option that Den-
nie Franklin runs as well as any
college quarterback.
The article is not without its re-
deeming points. Big time college
football is excessive, mercenary
and exploitative. The Texas inci-
dents described in the book Meat
on the Hoof are reprehensible. The
spring practice abuses described
in a recent Sports Illustrated arti-
cle are nauseating.
But Parks and Robinson offer no
evidence of these maladies here
and I know of no such excesses in
the Michigan program. To indict
Schembechler for that system and
its abominable abuses is taking the
argument a step too far. Schem-
bechler is hardly a dishonest man-
iac.
TOO OFTEN Americans h a v' e
paid lip service to the notion that
"It doesn't matter whether you
win or lose, but how you play the
game that counts." That lip se; v-
ice, that callous disregard forsbe
loser, not the desire to win, is the
problem with college football. 'That,
not Schembechler, is the issue.
Dan Boruis is Daily sports editor.
Doily Photo
G(uns replace verse'
With Neruda's death,
By OLIVER PIUM
PABLO NERUDA died, too. Of cancer, of course. And Allende dies
just as routinely of a self-inflicted bullet into the mouth. So
they're both dead now. Culture and politics carefully linked, inter-
twined and buried in a shallow grave.
Neruda was a Chilean leftist, a romantic, and a damn good poet,
perhaps the best in Latin America. His Nobel Prize for Poetry simply
recognized that fact: he received the honored prize the year after Al-
lende received a politician's prize - victory, and the chance to
forge a just socialist society. Neruda had already begun.
IN THE LAST bloody week of Chilean freedom ,and socialist con-
struction, Neruda wrote quickly of Nixon, the CIA, imperialism, Ana-
conda, fascism, and the gorillas. Malignant cancer crept through his
body as he wrote sharp short lines of the encirclement creeping from
t . - t .1-.- I,+ - .f- *....-+;~- 1+ 1 rnAWrv~
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