Page Six
THE-MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday, September 6, 1973
Pd~ Sb~ THEMICHiGAN DAILY
Regents
have
the
fi nal
say
By REBECCA WARNER.
Raw power politics is pretty
hard to find at the University
these days, other than infighting
between student government fig-
ures. Administrative action here.
has slowed to a sedate pace as
student activism hibernates, and
bills s
tributi
donate
suppo'
WHE
men (
arrive
slew o
ed in
rooms
food a
of shi
seemt
est thi
theirv
Of c
the o
Unive
ball g
fifty-ya
Only
Deanf
though
are Un
An
Regen
Buildin
ing R
in th
theatr:
impre
leather
gents,
ben Fl
uch as the five dollar con-
on all incoming students
temporarily toward the
rt of the University Cellar.
EN THE REGENTS, seven
one black) and one woman,
in town for their monthly
f meetings, they are whisk-
and out of plush conference
and plied with expensive
nd liquor. Occasional tours
ny new research facilities
to offer the group the clos-
ing to a look at student life
visits here encompass.
ourse, the Regents do have
pportunity to observe the
rsity as it really is at foot-.
games-they receive free,
ard-line tickets.
one Regent, Republican
Baker, lives in the city, al-
a number of the Regents
niversity alumni.
afternoon spent with the
ts in the Administration
ing's special Regents' Meet-
oom is a textbook lesson
e art of administrative
icals. Seated around an
ssive wooden table in black
r swivel chairs, the Re-
chaired by President Rob-
leming and attended by the.
ive Officers and their
puff an occasional cigar,
ip water from his or her
itcher and glass.
DY LANGUAGE around the
tal conference table is gen-
confident, aggressive and
male. The suits worn by
nale Regents recall more
ly the sharp, expensive
Wing of Capitol Hill than
rofessional or administra-
,rb of the University.
ps aside, the Regents occa-
y reveal disturbing ties to
tside world of government
inance. At one meeting last
two Regents -had to ex-
hemselves from a vote ap-
g the hiring of an archi-
Regents Huebner (left) and Dunn
Robert Brown
city political intrigue appears execut
dampened by a firmly Republican aides,
City Council. and si
But students who want to re- own p.
experience the thrill of the elec-
toral system in action still have BOD
one recourse-the Board of Re- Regen
gents. erally
Elected' in state-wide races super-
nearly as highly publicized as the n
local competitions for drain com- strong
missioner, the eight Regents hold costun
final power over every aspect of the pi
student life, from the academic tive gE
to the financial to the political. Prop
For example, the Board of Re- sionall
gents, must approve tuition in- the ou
creases, faculty appointments and and fit
firings, housing policies, building winter
contracts, research policies-even cuse t
fee assessments added to tuition provin
Execs
By EUGENE ROBINSON those
Although the R e g e n t s have part t
trot.
final, official say on all Univer- The
sity policy, the executive officers, A
who play a filtering role, are very for A
powerfVl men. consid
The R e g e n t s, busy running man i
their own businesses, law firms, only o
and households, and living so far He ru
from campus, cannot- possibly
keep, close tabs on the Univer-
sity's day-to-day operations. So,
for what they consider a "true"
picture of a given situation, the
Regents turn to the executive
officers.
The execs write the reports
that the Regents receive, draw
up the proposals they vote on,
and generally along with the
president act as a filter through
which only a fraction of the Uni-
versity's news passes to the Re-
gents.
In addition to being the Re-
gents' link with the campus, the
executive officers run the Uni-
versity on a daily basis. Except
on matters of a sweeping, gen-
eral nature, the execs are as high
in the hierarchy as one can go.
EACH OF THE officers is in
charge of a segment of the Uni-
versity's operations. Though they
may give some autonomy to
tectural consultant. Regent Ger-
ald Dunn (R-Lansing) said he
was closely associated with mem-
bers of the firm, and Regent
Lawrence Lindemer (R-Stock-
bridge) said the firm retained
him as its attorney.
Regents meetings were opened
to the public only a few years
ago. Formerly their discussion
and voting went on behind closed
doors. At present much of the
meaningful debate still takes
place in private meetings. Uni-
versity students and faculty have
gained access to the Regents'
attention for a monthly hour of
public comment, but the decision-
making .still occurs between the
Executive Officers and the Re-
gents.
A SUIT FILED by Student
Government Council (SG.C) 'at-
torney Tom Bentley which at-
tempts to open all Regental ses-
sions to the public is still pend-
ing action. Meanwhile, the Re-
gents have rejected an SGC pro-
posal to give non-voting mem-
bership on the Board of Regents
to two student representatives,
the SGC president and vice presi-
dent.
Regental response in March to
former SGC President Bill Ja-
cobs' plea for student representa-
tion on the board was particularly
revealing.
"We are too often evaluated by
the amount of time we spend in
Ann Arbor, and that's not fair,"
claimed Regent Gertrude Hueb-
ner (D-Bloomfield Hills).
Baker commented, "The con-
stituency of the Board of Re-
gents is nine nillion citizens of
the state of Michigan. We take it
as a trust. All of us have a
correspondence on a broad level
with a number of people, includ-
ing students. There is a very
strong communication and one
of which you are not aware."
JACOBS PLEADED, "Until I,
hear what you're going to lose
by this I won't be convinced."
But such commentary went un-
swered. Without Regental ap-
proval, a change in the compo-
sition of the board can only be
made by amendment of the state
constitution.
Baker's point on the constitu-
ency of the Regents was well
taken. While the executive offi-
cers need a minimal amount of
student and faculty support to
function, the Regents have no
obligations at all to the Univer-
sity community, except as a
block of voters in state elections.
As a result, the Regents tend
to catch University petitioners
up short against, a series of
"real world" perspectives. The
board is drawn from the high
level business and. law firms of
the state, and it believes in
hard - nosed, business - like deal-
ings. Whether it is equipped to
understand student, faculty, or
even administrative problems is
unfortunately a separate ques-
tion.
FINANCIAL ISSUES seem to
make the Regents feel most at
home. When the student funding
of the University Cellar by roll-
ing fee assessment came up for
renewal last March, the board
sailed enthusiasticallytinto'the
Cellar's management. Their fa-
vorite phrase was, "improvement
in business and management
practices." If a' University is
really a business, we are in the
best of hands.
Lindemer, well-known for his
colorful formulations, w a r n e d
the Regents.if they approved the
funding extension, 'students will
'think when they leave this Uni-
versity and go out into the world
of business someone will always
be there to pick up the nut when
they drop it."
Lindemer and other Regents
often seem to perceive' them-
selves as "in loco parentis" for
the student body.
Given the Regents' lack of con-
tact with day-to-day University
functions, do they act merely
See REGENTS, Page 8,
By KATHLEEN RICKE
The Center for Afro-American
and African Studies is more than
a classroom-oriented institution
on campus. The Center is an edu-
cational potpourri in the field of
A f r i c a n and Afro-American
studies. They are successfully
running a four-fold education
package on this campus while
struggling against an administra-
tion that would like to absorb
their program into other Univer-
sity. departments, and a budget
that leaves no elasticity for the
much needed expansions.
About 950 students participate
as undergraduate study majors
each term and a Masters pro-
gram is now being capsulized to
be approved in the 1974-75 school
year.
IN ADDITION TO the class-
room development of black
awareness, the Center has a re-
search branch which employs the
talents of many students on fel-
lowships. A community education
program works in conjunction
with the Ann Arbor public schools
to serve the needs and interests
of the black community through
curriculum development, guid-
ance and teacher training. The
information gathered by the re-
search branch is often utilized
by the public schools to fill the
cultural and educational needs of
black students.
The fourth component of the
Center is an audio-visual media
service. The aims of the service
are to increase black cultural
awareness and to share the find-
ings of the researchers with the
community.
The Center for Afro-American
and African Studies has been in
operation for almost four years.
According to Patrick Bynoe, ad-
ministrative assistant, the need
for such a facility has been felt
by the faculty and*students of
many departments. However, it
didn't become a reality until the
1970 Black Action Movement
(BAM) strike, which shut down
the University for several days. ,
THE CENTER offers approxi-
mately 25 courses each term
dealing with Afro-American his-
tory, culture, politics, writing and
education. Many of the courses
are offered in conjunction with
other departments in the Univer-
sity. By crosslisting, for instance
an Afro-American history course
with the history department and
the Center, it will be available to
more 'students with varied aca-
demic interests.
Another outgrowth of the BAM
strike was the Coalition for the
Use of Learning Skills (CULS).
It is. located at 1021 Haven Hall
and serves about 500 students
each term.
The function of CULS is to pro-
vide resource people in various
academic fields to minoritystu-
dents (primarily blacks and
Chicanos). The resource .people
work with students on a regular
basis, helping with courses from
the literary college, the engi-
neering college, and nursing.
CULS also employs a research
staff to develop learning skills
techniques = and to put together
learning manuals. Academic and
personal counseling is also avail-
able at the center.
Afro studies center:
educational potpourri
Keeping
tig i7 t
under them, for the most
hey remain firmly in con-
executive officers are:
Alan Smith, Vice President
cademic Affairs. Smith is
ered to be the number two
n the administration, sec-
only to President Fleming.
uns the University in the
president's absence. Smith is in
charge of the actual teaching
processes at the University, with
all schools and colleges exentual-
ly having to answer to him.
The tall and lanky Smith is
known for his firmness; his po-
litics are most often called mod-
erately conservative. Many stu-
dents consider Smith ,an extreme
villain, as he has been opposed
to student participation in many
phases of the University's admin-
istration.
* Wilbur Pierpont, Vice Pres-
ident and chief financial officer.
The silvery-haired Pierpont is an-
other extremely powerfui admin-
istration man and a financial
wizard. It is Pierpont's job to
know where every penny the Uni-
versity receives is being spent. A
reticent man, Pierpont is less
than visible on the campus. His
power is clipsed only by that of
Fleming and Smith.
* Fedele' Fauri, V i c e Presi-
dent for State Relations and Plan-
ning. Fauri is basically a lobby-
ist. He makes frequent journeys
to the state legislature in Lans-
ing to try to obtain more state
money for the University. Since
so much of his time is spent out
of town, most students do not
know or recognize Fauri. Other
administrators have a high opin-
letters and magazines. His degre
of power and influence in the ad-
ministration seems a bit less than
most of the other vice presidents.
*Charles Overberger, Vice
President for Research. Overber-
ger only a year ago inherited the
position - and the headaches-
of overseeing the University's
research projects. Overberger
was involved in the drawn-out
controversy over- whether or not
the University would accept
classified Department (DOD) re-
>.search projects. Like most ad-
ministrators (especially admin-
istrators who are directly con-
nected with research) Overber-
ger opposed the axeing of DOD
contracts, and therefore is dis-
liked by many students.
" Henry Johnson, Vice Presi-
dent for Student Services. John-
son supervises the vast net-
on work of the Office of Student
Services. The post of student ser-
has done vices vice president is tradition-
on state ally a liberal one; and, true to
form, Johnson is the most lib-
ce Presi- eral Executive Officer. He re-
tions and portedly resents having to wade
main job through the piles of bureaucratic
i happy red tape which are indigenous to
r exam- the job.
hem for O Three others, whose, influ-
rofessor, ence is not nearly so great as the
ion news- vice presidents. They are: Rich-
- ard Kennedy, Secretary of the
University and assistant to the
president; Leonard Goodall,
chancellor of the Dearborn cam-
pus; and William Moran, chan-
cellor of the Flint campus.'
Program established
for women's. studies
Henry Johns
ion of him, and think he
a good job of leaning
representatives.
* Michael Radock, Vi
dent for University Relat
development. Radock'sz
is keeping the alumn
through publications, fo
ple, and then asking t
money. A journalism p
Radock runs administrati
By LAURA BERMAN
After a small volunteer corps
of women faculty taught an ex-
perimental course in women's
studies last fall, the administra-
tion cancelled the course-despite
its apparent success.
But neither faculty nor stu-
dents were willing to let the
course be. quietly buried; they
refused to heed high-level
grumblings and growls to the
effect that women's studies is
not an "academic subject."
Petitions were circulated, a
Committee- for Women's Studies
was formed, the course was re-
instated-and beginning this fall
there will be an official, full-
scale program in women's studies
at the University.
"WE WANT TO promote on-
going, serious and intellectual
studies on women," says Lynn
Epstein, the University Advocate
f o r Educational Innovation.
"Many important things about
women have been ignored and
overlooked. We are seeking to
reclaim our past."
Designed much like the Ameri-
can Studies Program, the newly-
launched' Women's. Studies Pro-
gram takes a broad, interdiscip-
linary approach to its subject.
In addition to the three courses
specifically designated as "wom-
en's studies" courses, the pro-
gram encompasses classes in
virtually every department in
the University.
Thus, by taking cognate courses
in other departments and in-
dependent study, it will be pos-
sible to garner enough credit
hours to m a j o r in women's
studies.
.A sampling of courses on wom-
en turns up such titles as
"Women In Victorian Litera-
ture," "Women and the Law,"
"Psychology of Women" and
even the "Psychological Aspects
of Fertility."
ONE JUNIOR who took "Wom-
en In Europe" last semester
says she gained an entirely new
perspective on women's place
in history. "It's amazing," she
says, "but it seems like. women's
roles through history have been
determined largely by men's
needs.
"Social, economic, and demo-
graphic factors have periodically
created needs for the classes of
leisure women to absorb soci-
ety's excess wealth."
Although few men have en-
rolled in the courses in the past,
they are encouraged to do so.
The women's studies program
is expanding in various directions
throughout the University. The
English dept. has been consider-
ing a special "women's track"
that would concentrate on wom-
en writers and study literature in
general from a woman's per-
spective. A special section in
American Literature (English
269) will be the department's first
experiment in the special track
this fall.
BILLY WAHLSTROM, an assis-
tant .in the Women's Studies
See FINALLY, Page 8
Allan Smith
0
, r:,
-
The computer challenge
?
0 1
... one of the better places to
dine in Ann Arbor. Located on
the main floor of the Michigan
Union, the University Club pro-
vides a unique atmosphere for
members of the University com-
munity. Students, Faculty, Staff
and Alumni enjoy the distinctive
dining and relaxed atmosphere
that has characterizdd the Uni-
versity Club since its conception.
HOURS
LUNCH --Mon.-Fri.: 11:30-2:00
DINNER - Tues.-Thurs.: 5:00-
9:00; Fri.-Sat,: 5:00-10:00
HAPPY HOUR - 4:00-6:00
(Tues.-Fri.)
BAR-4:00- 1:00 (Tues.-Thurs.)
4:00-12:00 (Fri.-Sat.)
By ERIC SCHOCH
Supplement Co-editor
You may hate them or you may
love them, or you may hardly
know what they are, but the
chances are good that before you
graduate from this university you
will have used the computer at
least once.
.Just asthe growth in computer
technology in the last fifteen
years has been phenomenal, so
has the growth in computer use
at the University. In 1959, there
were only 400 active computer
users; last May, 14 years and
three new computers later, there
were over 14,000 active- computer
ID numbers (that important num-
ber which tells the computer you
are authorized to use it).
Most of -these new users have
been students doing regular
course work, so that by June of
1972, 8,000 of the 11,000 ID num-
bers had been used bye students
doing course work.
IF YOU WANT to avoid com-
Those cards, punched into pro-
grams, are fed into the Univer-
sity's IBM 360 Model 67 com-
puter, around which the massive
Michigan Terminal System (MTS)
is built. MTS is a world-famous,
complex computer system which
can not only execute programs
from cards, but from teletype-
writer machines located in over
15 University buildings around
campus, as well as terminals at
University extension campuses at
Flint and Dearborn and to other
computers at Wayne State Uni-
of your .stories will be corrected
by computer. You can punch the
story out, on cards or
you can type it on a teletype-
writer at any of the numerous,
locations around campus. But
such terminals are only avail-
able when University buildings
are open, it is often difficult to
find one not in use, and they
usually cost more than the small
program on cards.
If you use cards, then you can
either go the North University
Building Station (NUBS), where
by then, so if you don't have a
car, you might as well be in
Tokyo after all.
Many studehts using MTS do
not really have to write their
own programs, but use those al-
ready devised and stored on tape,
especially students in the social
sciences.
But if you find yourself major-
ing'in engineering, computer and
communication sciences or math,
you will have to deal with MTS
on the gut level of writing pro-
grams and correcting the in-
"it can make you very humble. For you will discover that the computer
is never wrong-it is always you, and of course that is not a very pleas-
ant discovery to make."
1:::"::.'"."::.V:" :+ J: Js."Jsrt:":J.:J:iJ.::...,....r:.er: ........ f.:.......: ...:.::.".::. .
versity and Michigan State. In
fact, to quote a computing cen-
ter booklet, "it is possible for a
user with only an ordinary Touch-
Tone telephone to call upon the
power of the computer from any-
the computer used to be, or out
to the new modernistic comput-
ing center building on North
Campus. Both places also have
teletypewriters.
evitable and seemingly endless
series of mistakes that crop up.
IT CAN MAKE you very hum-
ble. For youm will discover that the
computer is never wrong-it is
I