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ix iMriogan Daitn
Eighty-Four Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
OSS: Straddling fences
at the
U
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
News Phone: 764-0552
'WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 1974
Wage bill: Too little, too late
,RESIDENT NIXON'S SIGNING of the
bill raising the minimum wage to
$2.30 an hour is just another layer of
hypocrisy covering the Nixon era. While
it was inflationary to sign a similar bill
only a year ago, not even "some reserva-
tions" about the new bill were more im-
portant than his political survival.
Had Nixon vetoed this second bill he
would have placedl himself in grave polit-
ical jeopardy. Congress, already deeply
disturbed over the current tax scandal,
would have taken a very dim view of a
veto of this badly needed piece of legis-
lation. If the president was truly a man
of unshakable principles as he is trying
to present himself then he would have
ignored the pressure and followed his
conscience.
It is such two-faced action which has
taken the punch out of the minimum
wage bill. Had the bill been signed the
first time around it would have made a
head start on the realization of a living
wage. As it is, it will be 1976 before the
full impact of the bill will be felt. In the
meantime the poor remain poor and in-
flation reaches new heights.
-TIMOTHY SCHICK
By CINDY HILL
N THE WORLD of non-academia, stu-
dents pay for services such as hous-
ing, counseling and health services through
their tuition. These services fall under the
vast umbrella of the Office of Student
Services. (OSS).
These are not privileges, but the rights
of students. The students, for whom these
services are literally life support, view
them as such.
And the differences arising between stu-
dents and the monetary and bureaucratic
interests of the University have made
OSS a sort of battering ram, trying to walk
the narrow line between students and ad-
ministration.
If tenure is any indication of the dif-
ficulty of the job - or of the difficulty
of finding the right person for it - it is
worthwhile to note that the sprawling,
elephantine OSS has had five vice-presi-
dents in the past 14 years.
OSS, PRESENTLY under the leadership of
Vice President for Student Services Hen-
ry Johnson, includes under its umbrella
the Housing Office, Office of Special Serv-
ices and Programs, (OSSP, which includes
International Center and the Office of Eth-
ics and Religion, and the Office of Com-
munity Services), Health Service, Counsel-
ing Services, and Career Planning and
Placement.
Unofficially, OSS's role has traditionally
been to serve as a liaison between the
students and the University - a role they
often fall short of, in the opinion of the
University, the students, and, on occasion,
OSS itself.
"It puts us in a tough spot," admits
Tom Easthope, assistant to the Vice Presi-
dent, "We're regarded by the University
as representing 'those folks,' and viewed
by the students as representing 'those
folks.'
"The University tells us to be out there
and know what's happening, at the same
time we're part of the University em-
pire," said Easthope, "Sometimes it's a
tough road. On any given issue, we're liable
to take a position that no one likes."
Many students feel that OSS has taken
many positions no one likes lately; in par-
ticular, those stands involving minority
students and the Office of Studenr Serv-
ices Policy Board (OSSPB), which have
brought the Office under heavy fire.
OSSPB and the Advocates Program (the
Women's, Gay, Black, Chicano advocates,
and others), are the children of OSS - or,
more accurately, children of the '60s de-
cade of activism.
OSS IS IN a crucial position on student
issues and recent action has shown them
in many regards turning away from stu-
dent power.
The minority advocates, after working
within a basically untenable structure for
two years, finally learned to utilize their in-
dependence from rost of the University
bureaucracy to its fullest advantage.
Minority groups have learned where their
advocates' offices are, and seek them out
for guidance and help in dealing with
the University.
Now the students and advocates have
learned that they may be reshuffled, re-
routing minority traffic through such of-
fices as the Office of Religion and Ethics,
and taking away their newly appreciated
independence.
Health Service has come under attack fre-
quently as impersonal, inadequate, and hav-
ing as its chief purpose putting students
back on their feet and into school again,
rather than keeping people healthy.
Housing at the University compares poor-
ly with other Big 10 schools, as even a
brief visit to Michigan State University
will confirm. Services are low and getting
poorer, and housing costs have increased
by a whoping eight per cent this year.
The office did, however, move within
the student-funded "Student Activities Build-
ing," within the past year, and more re-
cently, from the third to the first floor.
The offices were recarpeted and refurb-
ished.
The move has brought criticism from
several students involved on housing com-
mittees.
MORE IMPORTANTLY in terms of stu-
dent power, Johnson and the Housing Pol-
icy Committee (HPC), clashed openly this
year on the issue of whether the students,
through HPC, have policy-making powers
or are only an advisory group.
Former Vice President for S t u d e n t
Services Robert Knauss offered to resign
if he was ever confronted by a student
policy decision he could not present to the
Regents.
HPC viewed Knauss' action as a sanction
on the policy-making power of HPC. John-
son, however, disagrees and has stated his
case in blatant terms.
"President Fleming told me at the time
I was hired that I would be held ac-
countable for recommendations I would
pass on to the Regents," said Johnson.
"At no time have I been informed that
if my decision as chief executive of OSS
was different from that of the unit
committee would I have to resign.
"Accountability" has been an important
word in the Johnson administration.
"Henry (Johnson) is an advocate of the
idea that along with responsbiility goes ac-
P"' " said Easthope. "He's stressed
that."
OSS IS ALLOCATED 3.5 million rough-
ly every year, with a four to five per cent
hike annually to cover inflation.
Of this allocation from the general fund (a
catch-all University fund based on tuition
and alumni contributions, $170,000 pays
counseling offices and their salaries; OSSP
gets $550,000 of the budget, and Career
Planning and Placement gets $290,000.
The OSS staff, which includes Johnson,
Easthope, their staffs and secretaries, re-
ceives $100,000.
Two OSS branches - Health Service and
Housing - are at least partially self-
supporting.
Health Service earns $1.3 million a year,
and receives an additional $1.5 million from
OSS. Easthope claims that Health Service
is, at present, hard hit by the federal wage
and price controls, which have prevented
them from raising their prices during the
past two years.
Housing nets $14 million in revenues ev-
ery year, which pays for virtually all the
costs involved in year-to-year operations,
including paying off bonds of indebtedness
and maintenance.
They receive an additional $800,00 annual-
ly, however, to cover staff salaries (RA's
and RD's) and Central Housing salaries.
THE LEFTOVERS, which run anywhere
from $200,000 to one million nnially, ga
into a "general students reserve account,"
and usually foots the tab for major renova-
tions, such as overhauling the elevator sys-
tem at Stockwell and the drainage system
at Northwood.
Barring these renovations, Easthope
claims the account is needed since "any
given year might be a bad year, and we'd
still have bonds of indebtedness to ray."
Each of the departiments within OSS is
given "a fair amount of lattitude," accord-
ing to Easthope, "since they know a Lell
of a lot more about the details than we
(central OSS office) do."
As an administrator, Johnson, who was
appointed and recommended for the job
by a number of joint student conmnittees
in 1972, is well liked. Students complain
that he is smooth, but unmovable.
Comments from his directors echo the
role as envisioned by OSS.
"HIS STYLE IS to learn from us, sup-
porting us in what we do and what we want
to see happen," said Evert Ardis, head of
Career Planning and Placement.
Ardis, who has seen five vice presidents
come and go during his work at the
University, characterizes Johnson's "style"
as "invigorating."
He pointed to the "facelift" of the Career
Office, also in the SAB, as an example of
the benefits his particular office has re-
ceived under Johnson.
The office which, during the time stu-
dents trouped through the building to their
own offices, had bland beige tiles on the
floor and concrete walls, has been repaint-
ed. The floors are now covered with cran-
berry-colored carpeting.
Evidently there is enough money Li the
ubiquitous general fund to pay for such
amenities. Perhaps with more student-
oriented decisionmaking it would be possible
to make more adequate provision for the
necessary services that students pay for.
Th andWatergate
THE LIST OF AGENCIES and data in-
volved in the Watergate scandal in-
creased by one yesterday. Senate Water-
gate committee member Lowell Weicker
Jr. (R-Conn.) released documents and
memos indicating that the White House
had used the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), in Weicker's words, "like a public
lending library" to obtain confidential
tax information about White House
"enemies".
A series of memos from former Presi-
dential assistant John J. Caulfield to
fired White House counsel John Dean
III reveal the almost incredulous extent
of an equally incredulous action.
In 1971, for example, Caulfield out-
lined for Dean actions the White House
could take to begin "discreet IRS audits"
on the return of Emilo De Antonio, a
Hollywood producer who financed a sa-
tire on Nixon, Hillhouse: A White Com-
edy. The De Antonio portfolio also in-
cluded plans for release of "derogatory"
information from the producer's FBI file.
WHITE HOUSE FINGERS evidently
reached out to more well-known en-
tertainment personalities as well. Reports
of audits on the returns of actors John
Wayne, Richard Boone, Sammy Davis
Jr., and Frank Sinatra were also sent by
Caulfield to Dean in 1971, according to
Weicker's documents. Even the form 1040
of staunch Nixon supporter Rev. Billy!
Graham found its way to the basement
of 1600 Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, we have become so ac-
customed to these Watergate revelations
that this latest seems like just another
drop in the horrifying bucket.
The use of supposedly confidential tax
information for political purposes is
something that bears too many shadows
of the Huxley/Orwell "Big Brother" sup-
erstate. The comparatively simple "ha-
rassment" planned by Nixon aides is on-
ly the beginning of countless threaten-
ing acts that a political organization
with access to tax and income data could
perform.
PERHAPS WE SHOULD ADD tax con-
fidentiality to that second list re-
sulting from Watergate - the list of new
legislation we need to prevent what might
elsewise be an inevitable Watergate II.
-DAVID BLOMQUIST
i
VICTIMS OF THE HOUSING MACHINE
TodayBaits Seven-tomorrow. .
Aaron: The will to overcome
BASEBALL DID ALL it could to ruin
Henry Aaron's 715th homerun.
The travesty began several weeks ago
when Atlanta owner Bill Bartholomay
announced his scheme to keep Aaron
out of the lineup for the club's opening
series in Cincinnati.;
A predictable, asinine reaction ensued.
Sportswriters, conveniently overlooking
the 1973 Braves' ability to lose just as
well with Aaron as without him, began
tossing around ominous phrases about
"the integrity of the national pastime."
Baseball' Commissioner Bowie Kuhn out-
rageously ordered Atlanta manager Ed-
die Matthews to start Aaron in at least
two of the three games Atlanta was to
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dan Biddle, Barbara Cornell, Judy
Ruskin, Steve Selbst, Sue Stephenson
Editorial Page: Brian Colgan, Paul Has-
kins, Marnie Heyn
Arts Page: David Blomquist, Jeff Sorensen
Photo Technician: Allison Ruttan
M1% 5 M)qVW MIXO'S
COL. CR - tt&IL-
HAVC TO LSACCOW /
T1:A[
play in Cincinnati.
TrHE CONTROVERSY reflected, credit
on nobody but Aaron, who was prob-
ably the only person who didn't have
anything to say on the matter. For two
decades, this magnificent athlete has si-
lently concentrated on doing what he
knows best - playing baseball - and by
so doing has showed a deeper intuitive
sense of what the game is all about than
all the conniving plutocrats, autocrats
and sycophants of the sport put together.
LONG AFTER BOWIE KUHN has be-
come a name gathering dust on a
Cooperstown plaque, the memory of
Henry Aaron will shine in baseball tra-
dition and folklore. He managed to
transcend his environment, and in a year
when absolutely nothing seems to be go-
ing right, it is good to realize there are
still some small areas where the human
spirit can overcome foul circumstance.
-CLARKE COGSDILL
I..OUT' lom A5
-"M 5f25 DPK
T.
TAXU$S.
I
By RICHARD PHILLIPSON, Jr.
and DOUGLAS BALCHAN
T'rHIS YEAR'S Vera Baits Staff Selection
Processes exemplify a procedure con-
trary to University policies insuring mean-
ingful student involvement in the Staff
selection process and administrative ac-
countability.
It has been common policy at Baits to
ignore or avoid student and Residential
Staff input on decisions affecting the daily
lives of residents, ever since the position
of Baits Building Director has been filled
by Edward Salowitz.
It is for these reasons that we have at-
tempted to bring these matters to the pub-
lic eye, and will continue to pursue such
pntil certain questions regarding basic
rights of students and Staff to regulate liv-
ing and learning environments, and the
rights of Administrators to follow poli-
cies contrary to these rights and care-
fully designed Housing Office Guidelines,
have been satisfactory answered.
THE CURRENT dispute began at the
first Staff Meeting of the year (January
9) when Staff Members were given a dense
three paragraph (single spaced) notice to
post calling for volunteers for student staff
selection nominating committees. Staff
pointed out that in the past mailbox stuffing
techniques had attained positive results,
and that posted notices simply would not
work. Mr. Salowitz stated that posted
notices would be the only method used.
The second Staff Meeting (January 23)
brought confirmation of Staff predictions
that posted notes would have little ef-
fect.
Two students responded, one because she
was a desk clerk who happened to be
using an extra copy of the notice for
scratch paper, discovered what it was upon
turning it over, and subsequently applied for
a position on the Committee.
At this Staff Meeting one Staffer called
for a show of hands urging the stuffing
of mailboxes. It was pointed out that im-
mediate action could still bring meaningful
student input into the selection process.The
Staff, and a number of students present,
showed their unanimous support for this
proven procedure.
During this time various Staff Members
visited Mr. Salowitz' office and urged the
specified technique be used, always with
similar results.
ON FEBRUARY 6, 1974, with John Feld-
kamp present, the call for mailbox stuff-
ing arose again from Staff and students.
Finally, after the interviewing process had
AT MEETINGS TIME committments
were again stressed. Students who stuck
through this adversity were given such
trivial input as to make Committee exist-
ence almost meaningless. They stated such
in a letter to the Housing Appeal Com-
mittee, and uring appeals be given com-
plete consideration. .
The University Housing Appeals Commit-
tee was most patient and careful while deal-
ing with each .of these points. After re-
viewing written appeal briefs and listen-
ing to testimony, the Committee upheld
the appeal, listing the following major com-
plaints:
" Exceptions to guidelines were not
requested by Salowitz, or approved by
the Housing Office.
* There was no semblance of two nom-
inating committees, as specified in the
guidelines.
* No written comments or recommenda-
tions were shared by the Area Director with
the Nominating Committee.
9 The Committee only reviewed partial
lists of candidates.
THE ACTUAL REPORT of the Appeals
Committee further states: "In light of
these procedural violations the Appeals
Committee views the staff selection pro-
cedure for the Baits complex as null and
void."
In addition to these, one complaint dealt
with the Alternate List used to fill vacan-
cies during the current year. The list was
discarded without Salowitz notifying' those
remaining on the list. Housing Office regu-
lations state that candidates for these va-
cancies must be taken from this list, or be
considered concurrently with new appli-
cants. In other words, policies regarding
those candidates placed on the Alternate
List were breached by Mr. Salowitz.
At a surprise meeting called by John
Feldkamp on 4 April, the appealing staff
and students were told the Appeals Com-
mittee decision had been overridden be-
cause of "this violation is not serious enough
to warrant" redoing the procedure.
It was pointed out that almost all had
substantive appeals to go through yet, so
we still had a chance of obtaining a posi-
tion. Mr. Feldkamp also stated tbat con-
tracts would be offered to people recom-
mended by Salowitz, despite the Appeal
Committee decision and the fact that ap-
peals were still pending. When pointed out
that such actions were unfair to both
selectees and appealling studentsFeldkamp
had no comment. If any of the seven appli-
cants won our substantive ppeals, we would
also be issued contracts, and the Univer-
would still be unresolved and unanswered.{
Where were the rights of Staff and stu-
dents during all of this, and what right
does an Administrator have to pervert
University policy as he sees fit?
The first days after he took over were
met with general Staff optimism; that,
maybe, good things would begin to happen
at Baits. Through a policy of total disre-
snect for both Staff and student opinion
Salowitz managed to kill that early budding
optimism.
One typical example is the Education and
Coke Funds policies of Mr. Salowitz. At
the first Staff Meeting this year, Salowitz
proposed new and unwieldly methods for
accounting of such funds. There was a
lengthy discussion on the topic, pointing
out many drawbacks, and adverse pos-
sible effects on the functions of individual
Houses. Later, one House Council in-
vited Mr. Salowitz to a meeting so as to
more fully explain his new "policy."
Though the RD's and RA made no refer-
ence to the many points brought up at
the Staff Meetings, or in personal discus-
sions with students, the discussion at this
meeting directly paralleled the Staff Meet-
ing's coontent and conclusions. These Staff
Members then received anote from Sal-
witz, dated January 5, stating "one could
almost assume some inflammatory the-
toric was used" to encourage student par-
ticipation. Certain Staffers were accused
of "setting up" Salowitz for ridicule at
this Meeting, something entirely specious
at best.
STAFF REPLIES to this letter pointed
out that no inflammatory rhetoric h a d
ever been utilized. "Inflammatory r h e-
toric need not be used to excite a group
of educated students who are aware of
and articulate concerning their n e e d s
and desires."
Similar situations occurred with respect
to security procedures for Baits, additional
grounds lighting, staff selection processes,
and almost any-time anyone advocated stu-
dent inputs or interests.
PEOPLE WHO DARED to hold differing
opinions were assured by other Staff Mem-
bers that they were "sealing their doom"
if they expected to be rehired. This turned
out to be, unfortunately; true. T h e
height of ridicule is shown by the case of
one person not rehired because he "failed to
meet the needs of the those of different
backgrounds than his own, specifically
Blacks and minorities" - according to
Salowitz. He was one who urged student
input in Staff selection, complee student
control of recreational funds, and was can-
did in his dealings with Salowitz. When
asked by Salowitz as to the cause of Staff
The Staff may lose jobs
room and board expenses,
replaced by other sources.
THE PEOPLE REALLY hurt by this are
the students who must walk between dark-
ened areas in Baits, who have had ten
cars stolen so far this year, and wihose
staff is ar'bitrarily chosen for them.
THE ETHICAL considerations listed here,
and others too numerous or sensitive for in-
clusion in this article, have been stud-
iously avoided by Feldkamp, Salowitz, and
the Housing Office in general. The Hous-
ing Office Appeals Committee, which .b9
charter is limited to procedural appeals,
ruled the "Salowitz Selections" null a n d
void for procedural violations. The con-
clusions of this Committee have been dis-
regarded as being unimportant, so ethical
considerations must indeed be brought to
the forefront.
John Feldkamp is in a time bind.
Feldkamp said that Salowitz has been
"admonished" for his actions, yet he iffers
contracts to those selected by S4lowitz'
processes. He feels he has no other choice.
It has been pointed out that rMr. F'eld-
kamp is interested in the ethical consid-
erations. It remains now for him to, put
forth a good faith effort to demonstrate
this concern for the students and staff of
Baits.
THE OSS, the OAA, the Regents, and
various other people throughout the Uni-
versity have begun watching the "Vera
Baits Seven". No longer are we seen as
simple seeking jobs. People are beginning
to realize that our primary objective is
awakening the University to situations with-
in its control which are contrary to: basic
operating policies and the basic rights of
individual students. We -are asking the Uni-
versity to correct these situations through
established channels.
of these observations have been borne
out in all seven Baits appeals.)
Almost all reasons given to the Staff
and students not hired or rehired by Salo-
witz proved to be absurd and vindictive.
In one job interview, held in early Febru-
ary, Salowitz complained to the candidate
for an hour about how Staff was trying
to wrest control of Baits, and its power,
from him. This certainly explains why Staff
Members who disagreed with him were
not rehired (they were trying to "take
over the complex?".
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Pliillipson and Balchan are members
the Vera Baits Seven.
Letters to The Daily should 1
of
I