ie Sir4igan Daing Eighty-two years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Lack of interest cripples mental hospitals 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1972 Funding for Detroit schools By KATHY RICKE MAN'S TECHNOLOGICAL and scientific advancements have wrought many sig- nificant changes in our modes of living - some life saving, others equally de- structive. We have evolved into a fast moving, vast, amazingly complex, and a sometimes in- humanly cold society. Throughout written history we have evi- dence of emotional and mental disorders within civilizations, and the different ways in which they were treated or pushed aside. Today with the world's expanding popula- tion and increased pressures, psychiatric disorders are more common than ever. Yet through years of technical advancement in the medical sciences, and volumes printed on the horrors of places like "Bedlam" in England and the Marquis de Sade, we have done practically nothing to improve the conditions for psychiatric care or to lessen the suffering of those afflicted. Since the discovery of tranquilizers and anti-depressants patients in psychiatric wards can now be subdued. There is less chance of them hurting themselves or oth- ers by letting their feelings come out physically and often uncontrollably. N'w they can walk as far as the locked dour and are perhaps more coherent, and less threatening to the hospital personnel. But until patients can receive the kind of therapy for which the drug is designat- tion of our state psychiatric institutions. Recently when funds began to run low, patients at Ypsilanti State Hospital were served only two meals a day. This is not uncommon and some employees have even run bucket drives to collect extra funds during their spare time. But until patients can receive the kind of therapy for which the drug is designed (in some cases psychotherapy or behavior therapy), the drugging alone remains a very poor solution. ".:::;::r.,l . ."rr.: x::::n."4:"w::;y. r ~:~.'.v.:w... . . . . . . . ..*.*.*.*.*.......... ......,. . . THE CONDITIONS in private hospitals aren't too much better. While the natients may not suffer from lack of food or clean- liness, the personnel, unless trained other- wise, will probably be just as unempathetic as in the state hospitals. People continue to suffer more than is necessary, and their plight is largely un- known to the general public. Conditions most likely won't change until more people become aware of :hem. In the past this has happened primarily *hrough personal experience as patients or em- ployees, and through the experiences of friends and relatives. There is a lot that those on the "out- side" can do. Monetary contributions can be made to the funds for state tun hos- pitals, and citizens can exercise their vot- ing power and voice to state senators and representatives. And more importantly, try- ing to become personally aware and under- standing of the problems others are having all around. Kathy Ricke is a staff writer for The Daily. 0 DETROIT voters must have won some sort of award when they voted down the millage for their schools in the last election. They left their schools with a property tax base of 15.51 mills, little more than the minimum prescribed by state law. That compares to an average of 26 mills throughout the state and an average of 30 mills in the Detroit metro- politan area. Faced with an overwhelming $80 mil- lion deficit, Detroit schools officials quickly made plans to shut the schools down for eight weeks beginning Decem- ber 21. These plans were cancelled Tues- day, however, after leaders of both par- ties in the state Legislature promised to get the Detroit schools out of their dif-. ficulty by hook or by crook. One disappointment is that the citizens of Detroit will not be allowed to face the consequences of their irresponsibil- ity. The Legislature will probably combine a relatively small grant to the school sys- tem with a substantial increase in some Detroit tax. Their promise to "find a way" points Today's staff:- News: Robert Barkin, Laura Berman, Linda Dreeben, Ted Evanoff, Terry Martin, Cheryl Pilate Editorial Page: Bill Heenan, Eric Schoch Arts'Page: Tom Field, Gloria Jane Smith Photo technician: Denny Gainer Editorial Staff SARA FITZGERALD Editor PAT BAUER.............. Associate Managing Editor LINDSAY CHANEY ................ Editorial Director MARK DILLEN ....................Magazine Editor LINDA DREEBEN.......Associate Mnging Editor TAMMY JAOBS.........Managing Editor ARTHUR LERNER................ Editorial Director ROBERT SCHREINER.............Editorial Director GLORIA JANE SMITH .................Arts Editor ED SUROVELL.....................Books Editor PAUL TRAVIS... ....Associate Managing Editor NIGHT EDITORS: Robert Barkin, Jan Benedetti, Di- ane Levick, Jim O'Brien, Chris Parks, Charles Stein, Ted Stein. COPYr EDITORS: Meryl Gordon, Debra Tha. EDITORIAL NIGHT EDITORS: Fred Shell Martin strn. DAY EDITORS: Dave Burhenn, Jim Kentch, Marilyn Riley, Judy Ruskin, Eric Schoch, Sue Stephen- son, Ralph Vartabedian, Becky Warner. TELEGRAPH/ASSOCIATE NIGHT EDITORS: Prakash Aswan, Gordon Atcheson, Laura Berman, Penny Blank, Dan Blugerman, Bob Burakoff, Beth Eg- nater, Ted Evanoff, Cindy Hill, Debbie Knox, David Stoll, Terrt Terrell. STAFF WRITERS: Howard Brick Lorin Labardee, Ka- . thy Ricke. Eugene Robinson, Linda Rosenthal, ZUcry Schiller, Marcia Zosaw. ARTS STAFF: Herb Bowie, Rich Glatzer, Donald Sosin. Sports Staff JOHN PAPANEK Sports Editor ELLIOT LEGOW Executive Sports Editor BILL ALTERMAN............Associate Sports Editor BOB ANDREWS ............Assistant Sports Editor SANDI GENS........Assistant Sports Editor RANDY PHILLIPS ........Contributing Sports Editor MICHAEL OLIN.......... Contributing Sports Editor CHUCKDRUKIS .......Contributing Sports Editor JOEL GREER...........Contributing Sports Editor SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS: Chuck Bloom, Dan Borus, Mare Feldman, George Hastings, Bob Heuer, Frank Longo, Bob McGinn, Roger Rossiter, Rich Stuck. ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Brian Deming, Jim Ecker, Mike Lash, Mark Ronan, Bob Simon, Theresa Swedo, Robin Wagner. Janet McIntosh, Marcia Merker, Mike Pritula, STAFF: Jeff Chown, Richard Flaherty, Fred Lucas, ambiguously toward the larger problem of school tax reform, however. Propositions C and D and the Novem- ber ballot would have shifted support for the schools away from the property tax and toward a uniform, state graduated income tax. The proposals would actually have shifted some of the financial bur- den of Detroit's school system onto out- state taxpayers. Yet Detroit voters helped to defeat these proposals too. The fact that they blindly voted down every proposition with the word "tax" in it makes reform even more imperative. Not only is the present system unfair, but citizens can no longer be trusted to vote the money necessary to educate their children. State support for the .schools hardly solves the problem, however. Not only does it remove voters even farther from the responsibility which they already lack, but it also removes them further from the consequences of their actions. Even if it is necessary, the State's as- sumption of responsibility for the schools can be viewed only with misgiving. -DAVID STOLL Exploded myths REFRESHING AS always, Justice Wil- liam Douglas yesterday exploded the ever-growing myth that the Supreme Court is overworked. "We are if anything, underworked, not overworked," Douglas stated in a terse dissenting opinion in a minor procedural case. Douglas allowed that the total number of cases filed with the court has indeed increased-by over 300 per cent since 1939. But, Douglas stressed, the court now agrees to rule on very few cases. The number' of signed opinions, in fact,. was less last year than in 1939. What all this means, besides the fact that the Supreme Court is underworked, Is that myths are made to be exploded. We urge all students, faculty members and administrators at the University, as well as members of the community, to seek hard and relentlessly for myths cap- able of being exploded. If you provide the evidence, we will provide space for the explosion. -R.S. C iv.ili-an blues THE FIRST civilian to go to the moon left the eafrth in an Apollo spacecraft last night. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, a geologist, reportedly was included after NASA was criticized for not including civilians on previous flights. Perhaps after the newest moonmen re- turn safely to earth these same critics will ask why the Nixon administration has usually given the nod to the mili- tary over civilian concerns in the- rest of the federal budget. -E.S. ed (in some cases psychotherapy or behav- ior therapy) the drugging alone remains a very poor solution. NOT ONLY is psychological care lacking, but patients in state-run hospitals often have to exist in.,deplorable physical environments. The buildings are as drab as any hos- pital, and are often filthy. Time and time again state legislation has denied money for the realistic func- The majority of patients in state hospitals are there because they have no mouey for a private one. And often becauce they were committed by. relatives. Understandably, many people reach a. point in their lives when hospitalization for emotional difficulties becomes a reality. Yet we can wonder just how much good it actually does to dope someone up, and then lock them up. JACK ANDERSON Vie t Cong court South Vie tnam neutralists WASHINGTON - Secret Intelli- gence reports from Vietnam indi- cate that the Viet Cong are pre- paring to change their spots during the political struggle for control of the Saigon government. The Communists have suddenly started courting non-Communist leaders in Saigon who are opposed to President Thieu. The Viet Cong apparently want to adopt a more moderate front in order to win the non-Communist left over to their side. Meanwhile, the true neutralists in South Vietnam - those who op- pose both Saigon and Hanoi - are desperately trying to gain a voice in the peace settlement. THE PROPOSED peace accord calls for a three-part national coun- cil to work out the peace terms. One third are supposed to be ap- pointed by Saigon, one third by Hanoi. The remaining third a r e supposed to be neutral. But the neutralists have no real base of power. So far, they have failed to get the United States - or anyone else - to recognize them. It now appears obvious that Saigon will choose half of the so- called neutralists and Hanoi the other half. They will be neutral, therefore, in name only. The real neutralists in S o u t h Vietnam, who would like to rally round General Duang Van Minh, popularly known as "Big Minh," are privately appealing to the Unit- ed States for help. But Henry Kissinger, for one, hasn't had much time to consider the appeals of the neutralists. Ne- gotiating with Hanoi by day and Saigon by night, the President's master negotiator has been t a o busy to worry about the neutral- ists. -PUBLIC RELATIONS- Two years ago with great fanfare President Nixon ordered his chief lieutenants to curtail their public relations activities. But we h a v e found that the public still pays a stiff price for the privilege of be- ing told by the bureaucrats how good they are. Instead of tooting their own horn, government agencies now farm out public relations work to p r i v a t e advertising agencies. UNDER THE Nixon Administra- tion, we have learned, some 400 private public relations firms have gotten over a thousand contracts at a cost to the public of well over $77 million. Here are some highlights: " O $52 million, or about four-fifths of the total, was spent by the Pentagon. The biggest contract, for $47 million, went to N. W. Ayer & Son of Philadelphia for an Army recruiting program. - 0 The Environmental Protection Agency alone handed out 400 PP contracts. One of them called for an expenditure of $18,500 for "ori- ginal paintings." * The Commerce Department spent nearly $4 million with a New York firm to promote "tourism" in the United States. All of this, of course, doesn't take into account the $116 million the government spends each year to keep its 6,000 "information spec- ialists" on the payroll. -BLACK FILES- The FBI keeps thousands of citi- zens under surveillance for t h e crime of speaking their own minds, but one group especially harassed are black civil rights leaders. WE HAVE obtained the FBI file on a prominent black leader that is loaded with malicious and irrel- evant details about his personal life. The file typifies the kind of information the FBI has collected, on numerous black leaders, includ- ing the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Rep. Walter Fauntroy, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Roy Innis and Floyd McKissick, among others. By no stretch of the imagination can this man be called a revolu- tionary, yet here is the kind of information the FBI has collected on him: * Much of the man's dossier concerns his alleged lack of leader- ship ability and the troubles he is having with his staff. One of his close associates is quoted as saying the man is suffering from "ego- mania.' * Other memos are concerned with the man's married life. He has "periodically experienced mar- ital dischord," says one document. The black leader himself is quot- ed as saying his wife "treated him like a dog.'' * The FBI has even taken note of the medicines the man takes. One agent wrote that the subject "utilizes a number of medications daily 'to get going,' and other pills in order to sleep at night. At various times during the day he resorts to additional pills." The FBI, of course, could spend the taxpayers' money more profit- ably investigating criminals rath- er than the personal lifer of a law- abiding black civil rights leader. -INTELLIGENCE ITEMS- White House sources are hint- ing that Soviet Party Chief Leonid Brezhnev will come to the White House next year for a second sum- mit meeting.dThetop item on the agenda: the Middle East . . . The Central Intelligence Agency, quot- ing a source inside the B 1 a c k September Groupcwarns that ano- ther attempted coup against Jor- dan's King Hussein is likely. An attempt on Huessin's life 1 a s t month failed. For months, we've been warning that anti-U.S. senti- ment has been building up in Latin America. President Nixon, we have said, might go down in history as the President who lost Latin Amer- ica. We are pleased to report, therefore, that the President has or ired thetNational Security Coun- cil to take a fresh look at Latin American relations. J 'I A Copyright, 1972, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc. Letters: State prisoner grievance meeting To The Daily: OPEN LETTER to the Michigan Department of Corrections, t h e press, prisoners, and families and friends of prisoners: Cruel and inhuman conditions continue to permeate the Michigan prison system after countless at- tempts by the prisoners, their rela- tives and concerned groups like the Prisoners Solidarity Committee to deal with these conditions on an individual basis. This brings rise to the need for an open airing of these conditions to the people of Michigan. We demand the presence of Per- ry Johnson of the Michigan De- partment of Corrections at a public grievance meeting, during which prisoner's relatives and friends, the Prisoners Solidarity Commit- tee, and other concerned groups and individuals will present their grievances about the Michigan pri- son system. This meeting is to be held on December 18, 1972 at 7:30 p.m. at 103 W. Alexandrine in De- troit. One grievance to be presented concerns a prisoner at Jackson, Ulises Pineiro, who was transfer- red to a work farm despite the fact that he was under medication re- gularly for a very painful allergy, medication he was deliberately de- nied at the farm. Another case is Ken Smith, also a Jackson prison- er, who escaped from a parole camp to turn himself into a hospital because he had been consistently denied medical attention in prison. POLITICAL HARRASSMENT is also commonplace. In Ionia, a pri- soner, called James Bobo, who was organizing prisoners as workers in a union struggle, w a s charged with attacking a guard, even though the attack happened when Bobo was in a meeting with his coun- selor. He was then transferred to Jackson and thrown into the hole. The members of the Prisoner's Labor Union steering committee at Jackson have been transferred to farms and to Marquette, thrown into the hole, had legal decuments and briefs stolen by guards, and denied visits with their lawyers. These tactics have, however, been unsuccessful in carrying out their purpose of breaking up the Prison- ers Labor Union, only due to the courageous persistence of the pri- soners themselves. be present at the meeting to hear these prievances, both to acco'mt for the role his administration hils played in their occurrence, and to guarantee that they will not hap- pen again. -Diane Bukowski For the Prisoners Solidarity Committee -Lydia Pineiro -Mattie Freeman Bicycling survey To The Daily: ENACT IS begining to work on the conflicts in bicycle-pedestrian- automobile traffic and in bicycle security on campus. At winter term registration this month, there is a bicycle questionnaire available to be filled out by all students who ride a bike on campus. The form is short and requires only about two minutes to answer. The ques- tionnaire and answer card will be at the unit offices where o t h e r registration material is picked tip. The filled in answer cards will be collected at Waterman during re- gistration, and at the ENACT of- fice, 2051 Nat. Sci. Bldg. At this point, only bicyclists are to answer the questionnaire. Cooperation by all students who ride bicycles will be appreciated and help all of us in bettering the circulation of peo- ple on campus. -Karen Mitchnick ENACT Dec. 6 A capital plan To The Daily:, IN LESS than a month I shall be leaving this University and turning to the business of earning a living. Quite an exciting prospect, espec- ially since I have just had an in- spiration for a highly lucrative bus- iness which would incidentally also solve the housing problem in Ann Arbor. However, as I will need assistance in raising the necessary capital I would like to share the idea with your readers. The idea came to be wh'in the management of University Towers insisted on having me vacate my apartment by the 23rd, but never- theless charge me four month's rent for 3% months starting Sept. 6, plus extra charges for moving in earlier in September. During those last eight davs of the month from the lease for my convenience in reading that document. NOW MY idea is this. Why not buy an apartment building, and once the tenant has signed the lease simply notify him that he will not be allowed to occupy the prem- ises for which he is paying? That is a logical extension of what U. Towers is doing, and apparently it is allowed by the lease. Then the same apartment can be rented over and over again. Such a plan would obviously be very profitable, and it works in tenants' own best interests net to worry them unnecessarily by no- tifying them that their pockets are about to be picked. Furthermore, it is evident that the present hous- ing problemdepends chiefly on the fact that not too many more than four people can occupy a three-inan apartment! Once that constraint is removed, an unlimited suoply of housing rentals will be available to all, and high rents as we know them today will be a thing of the past. Anybody with a little capital to spare, here's your chance. -Daniel Martin '72 Dec. 6 McClain resigns To The Daily: I WAS NOT surprised to hear that Valda McLain resigned from SGC this morning. She was a can- didate recruited by the RAP par- ty to run in the first place, and expressed her disinterest in the Council by continued silence on all issues. It was surprising, however, that Valda degraded SGC by calling Council the Kiddie Government Council. First, it should be noted that almost any government could be reprimanded for their conduct. But more importantly, McL in should have tried to right t h e wrongs she saw before leveling any accusations. I contend that the conduct of SGC, however, is not as "disgust- ing" as McLain sees it. Whenever 20 people get together on a regular basis, there is bound to be an exchange of witticisms and ideas. Idea exchange is the purpose of the Council meetings! Valda McLain failed as an SGC member by viewing her role only ents. The obligation of an SGC member goes far beyond tae week- ly meetings. Unfortunately, Valda McLain did not realize this and has, therefore, resigned. Hopefully, McLain s replacement will be willing to work. I urge all students (but especially women) who are interested in working fTr and with the student body to apply for McLain's position. Contact room 3X Michigan Union if you are in- terested. -Margaret Miller SGC Member-at-large Dec. 6 Pot vote farce To The Daily' AS A RECOGNIZED member of the so-called "conservative" wing of SGC, I feel compelled to explain my vote at the Nov. 30th Council meeting in support of the dope co- op. In order to allay people's fears that I've sold out to my more lib- ertine colleagues, I want to pro- claim here and now that I'm unal- terably opposed to the concept of breaking the law which governed -the intent of this motion. I voted for the co-op for two rea- sons: First, I wanted the measure pass- ed to demonstrate to the student body the farce that SGC really is under the Group/Integrity yolk. Second, I hoped that this piracy of $2,500 for student money, ac- crued through compulsory f e e s from each and every student, would get people up off their duffs. The apathy on this campus makes me want to puke; and until the Stu- dent is put back in Student Govern- ment Council through student con- cern and participation in the gov- erning process, then the students deserve exactly the kind of govern- ment that they've got: unrespons- ible and bureaucratic. I don't know how many times I've pleaded with people to c:me to SGC meetings and see what's go- ing on. As a result of these efforts, the average attendance, at meet- ings runs anywhere from 4 to 12 out of 35,000 students. Nice going, gang! This is $80,000 of your money be- ing doled out on a first-come, first patronized basis. And the biggest crime of it all is that you have absolutely no choice of wvhether or not to "con- tribute" your precious coin to his boondogele. It's all done for you, nice and neatly, by the Office of Student Accounts. Tonight's SGC meeting will have before it a motion to allocate $l,- 000 to a committee which, : 'id e r false pretenses, will act as a dis- tributor of dope. Not only will this action, if taken, be criminal, but it will also serve to make a mockery of ' an already incredible Student Government Council. If I don't see a few thousand peo- ple trying to crowd into that Coun- cil room tonight to prevent -t h i s whole sorry mess from taking place, then I'll know that the demo- cratic process on this campus is dead, and along with it, any re- spect that I have for my fellow students as responsible constitu- ents. Come on! You 92 per cent who didn't see fit to vote in the last election, this is your chance to re- deem yourselves and show that you care! Stand up and be counted! -Keith Murphy '74 SGC Member-at-large Dec. 6 , b. /,_,, . t l t ' ', V ;,,' y s V / ' . n G. =- ,v x '" h . vim'" t I ... "i s _ ulli w SCi ' . .4 A z v AMEMM"Moti . EEII-mt