November 6, 1977-The Michigan Doily
By JULIE ROVNER
hotbed of liberal radicalism
nmie Activists."
i-American pinkos."
Students' ideals go the way ofjobs
been seeing in the last year is not true. type to champion something as ab- These were introductory classes, comp- doing an extra few years of graduate Peo
>7 Of course most of the people I have met stract as trying to make up for past dis- posed mainly of freshmen and sopho- work. When I asked him why, he said, thin
are pre-med or pre-law or pre-business. crimination. mores - not seniors whose law and "Well there's not going to be a job for mid
But they want to become professionals med school applications were already me when I get out, so why not?" stud
EN I WAS growing up, these were
ngs I heard about the University
higan. When my sixthgrade class
walkout to protest Nixon's bomb-
Cambodia (even though half of us
know where the hellkthe place
I couldn't help thinking of all
brave University of Michigan stu-
who were being beaten and tear
d 'for protesting things they
ht were wrong. When I decided to
here, in fact, I was as proud of
beral reputation as I was of the
11 team. Maybe more so.
I, the football team lived up to my
tations (almost) but I fear that
sm at this University has gone the
f sit-ins and communes.
jed to pretend that what I have
so they can help others, not just so they
can get a good job and make a lot of
money. My delusion was shattered
Thursday;at 11:59 in Rackham Audi-
torium:'
MY POLITICAL science class was
watching ex-president Ford make a lot
of dumb football analogies and hedge a
few questions which attempted to be
controversial. 'Finally, someone asked
him about the Bakke case. Ford jum-
ped at the opportunity to be direct in
answering something.
"I am strongly opposed, to arbitrary
numerical quotas. Period," he said.
The answer didn't really surprise me.
After all, the man had never been
known for his strong stance on civil
rights. He had voted against the Civil
Rights act in 1965. He was hardly the
WHAT SURPRISED me, however,
was the audience reaction to his state-
ment. The spontaneous standing ova-
tion given to him by this white, mostly
middle class, pre-professional throng
smacked of self-interest and of racism.
I felt ill.
Even Ford's disclaimer that he still
supported "vigorous affirmative action
programs" didn't make me feel any
better because he had to wait until the
applause died down to say it. Clearly,
this crowd cared little about anything
except protecting their precious spot in
graduate school.
I suppose it's unfair for me to come
down so hard on a group of which I am a
part. I want to go to graduate school
too, and I know I will be disappointed if
I don't get in. But what ever happened
to the idealism of college students?
The spontaneous standing ovation
given to him by this white, mostly mid-
dle class, pre-professional throng
smacked of self-interest and racism.
sent in. Is it such a fantasy to think that
college was a place people came to
learn about other viewpoints and to
broaden their minds? Or is it now just a
stepping stone to another stepping
stone to a profitable job, a couple of big
cars and a vacation house?
IT'S TRUE that it's not 1969 any-
more, and that the job market is tight
and things don't look as rosy for college
graduates as they used to. A friend
recently told me that he was thinking of
But why does idealism have to bear
an inverse relation to the unemploy-
ment rate? I worry about my grades as
much as the next person. I can't study
in the libraries anymore because
they're always too crowded. Everyone
seems so wrapped up in their books that
they don't even see what's going on
around them. Students don't read news-
papers or watch the news because if
they don't study and get good grades,
they won't get into graduate school.
acti
B1
get
havy
exc
and
to t4
istr
of h
In
the
ting
com
soc
seer
hibi
J
wri
ple who spend their time debating
gs such as affirmative action or the
d-east crisis are dismissed by other
dents as time-wasters - unless their;
vities are for a class.
ut whathappens to those who don't
into graduate schools? They will'
e spent four years and a lot of
ey and will have little to show'for it
ept memories of drunken parties;
Iall-nighters. Colleges exist not only
each derivatives and organic chem-
y, but to make students more aware
ow to judge the world around them.
n their ringing applause in Rackham
other day, those students were put-
into concrete terms what has be-
ne a growing realization in this:
iety. Idealism, if it's not dead,
ms certainly to be in for a lengthy,
ernation.
fulie Rovner is a Daily staff
ter.
E y. h Ye ri Fed
Letters to
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
I. LXXXVIII,. No. 52
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
ex d in- sch
IE STATE OF MICHIGAN has
finally decided to be realistic about
Yes-sex.
appears that the State legislature
lifted a long-standing ban on the
hing of birth control methods in
iigan's public schools. And it's
it time. The state's conservative
ude toward such things has been
only outdated, but impractical.
er states threw off such restrictions
ago. They probably saw-as
higan lawmakers must have seen
week-that young people will
ige in sexual activities whether
are acquainted with birth control
ot. Obviously, it is better for them
acquainted.
e bill that lifts the teaching
rictions, which has been passed in
rent forms 7b b" legislative
es in Lansin. gives local school
00 s- finally
boards the power to decide for them-
selves whether they want to include
birth control techniques in their
curriculums. The bill also provides
that parents who do not want their
children attending such classes can
have them removed without difficulty
No parent or school district will be
able to complain that sex education is
being forced upon the students.
The benefits of teaching birth control
techniques to impressionable young
minds are greater than the imaginary
evils. Unnecessary suffering and
ruined young lives will be.diminished.
An ironic point to be drawn is that
many of Michigan's school districts
disregarded the state ban and began
teaching the forbidden, subject long
ago. Now their activities will be legal.
Bravo, state legislators. What took
you so long?
LISTEN! IF YOU DON'T TURN OVER TONGSUN PARK TO TESTIFY ABOUT KOREAN
PAYOLA, WE IN CONGRESS MAY CUT OFF YOUR AIDI
tales of apathy
To The Daily:
I can't understand it. Novem-
ber 1 and 2, hearings were
scheduled for students to come
and discuss any gripes,
frustrations they had about
distribution requirements. No
one came. NO ONE CAME.
The publicity was there-let-
ters to the Daily, ads in the Daily,
and the Record , memos to
classes, notes on boards and calls
to affected students. Tuesday
r night came. There I sat, with
three faculty members who were
genuinely interested in finding
out what undergraduates had to
say. The tape recorder was ready
to record student opinion, to
make sure no statements were
misinterpreted. We waited and
waited-...
Wednesday night, I thought,
would be different. After all,
people knew about the meeting
through the ads. Faculty mem-
t bers reassured me notices would
,go out to classes. Ever the op-.
timist, I went to room 2203 Angell
once again. NO ONE CAME.
It isn't that I felt foolish in front
of faculty members, after
..knocking my brains out talking
abut student representation and
the need for hearings to gauge
student opinion. No, what bothers
me is that the faculty and ad-
ministrators can justifiably
tighten up policies, put average
grades on transcripts and do
whatever else they please,
without having to worry about
student response, for there will
be none.
I am very saddened by the un-
believable apathy among my
peers. All I can say is, you get
what you deserve. Maybe the
issue was not one of concern to
you this time, but when the issue
does come along that you per-
sonally care about, be forewar-
ned: you'll get very little support
from students around you.
In thinking about the problem,
the obvious explanation comes to
mind-students, today, are more
concerned about their careers;
they come to the "U" to study,
and occasionally party. (God for-
bid, Dooley's or Second Chance
shuts down for a day, I hasten to
think of the tremendous student
protest that would ensue.) But, to
follow this logic of "careers" fur-
ther, it would seem that any con-
ferences, seminars or talks about
jobs and graduate schools would
attract a wide audience. Such is
not the case. In October, a
graduate school seminar was
held, precisely to provide studen-
ts the chance to ask questions;
find out any "ins" and talk about
their goals. Publicity was
widespread. About 50-75 people
came-that's all.,
Maybe I was. born in the wrong
geperation. I guess I viewed U of
M as a place where people were
"sparked" to become involved in
issues of concern to them. But
based on my experiences of the
past three years, the only
"spark" students have is the one
to study.
It's very sad ... When you're
out of undergraduate or graduate
school, it's important to have the
skills of advocacy, to protest
what you feel is wrong, to avoid
being stepped on. Hiding behind
books and in bars is not going to
leave one very well-equipped to
cope.
-Carolyn Rosenberg
Subcommittee on
Distribution
Requirements
on mankinld
To The Daily:
The people of Ann Arbor are
fortunate to have living among
them one of the master minds of
the twentieth century, a man who
has researched the past history of
our world and is able to write and
converse in many
languages-George Mendenhall.
His research has been to find
and pinpoint the basic cause of
past consolidations. Self-
destruction starts at the top and
filters down to the common man,
resembling a field of wheat. Just
one kernel of wheat is planted
alone. Eventually it produces a
field of wheat. This happens to
fields or societies of individuals,
people, members of any society
of man. Mendenhall has found
that it takes about ten
generations, a point which we are
now approaching in our present
history. Can it be stopped this
time? That has been the purpose
of his careful study of the time it
takes for past generations to
disintegrate. This disintegration'
comes automatically.
George Mendenhall sees lack of
consideration for the welfare of
others and self-interest growing
rapidly in our present every-day
dealings of men, in our present
society, in out total world
civilization, and especially here
in the United States.
Perhaps most suggestive is a
breakdown in confidence in
the existing social and
political organization. The
inevitable result is increasing
difficulty on the part of the
organization in meeting its
scoial functions. This is true
not only of the political state,
but of other kinds of social
organizations as well, in-
TheEL
cluding the family. (George
Mendenhall, The Tenth
Generation p. 218).
George Mendenhall gives us
the solution to all our personal as
well as our collective
problems-just absolute honesty.
Jesus is supposed to have tried to
teach that. Mendenhall says it is
the loss of confidence in all of our
social and political organizations
that creates the problem. But he
has got the cart before the horse.
The loss of confidence is a result
of the dishonesty in all our
monetary, political, religious,
business and social
organizations.I So the solution is
so simple it is pitiful. Just remove
the dishonesty and the correction
is automatic.
The principles we are using will
desxtroy our twentieth century
civilization or our present
society.
One word describes the prin-
ciple Jesus tried to teach-the
word that best describes the
motive and the
method-dishonesty-which is a
case of self-interest, lack of
caring for other people's welfare,
which is a violation of the
greatest charity a man could
have for his own best interest andx
his own personal welfare. This"
was emphasized by Jesus, by a
warning, an admonition, that
what you did to others was exatly
what you would receive for your
own.
-Floyd Malkemus
go huck!
To The Daily:
Collegiate sports are probably
the most competitive and ex-
citing events of our decade. Each
Saturday, the University of
Michigan continues to fill its sta-
dium with record breaking
crowds. Supposedly, these
crowds come -to view a game
played by a team that they love
and support. Well you could have
fooled me! These crowds will be
Go Blue all the way until their
Wolverines meet defeat. It is then
that they will turn into the rudest,
the most disgusting crowds that I
have ever witnessed.
At basketball games, the
crowds scream with enthusiasm
for their Wolverine cagers when
they are ahead, but as soon as
their opponents gain a substan-
tial lead, you could hear a pin
drop between boos in the arena.
But the worst display of the
fickleness of University of Michi-
gan crowds came to my attention
on that Saturday when Michigan
played Iowa after their dis-
appointing loss to Minnesota.
The game started out fine, and
lait[
the crowd was roaring with sup-
port. Then, our tailback Harlan
Huckleby fumbled. Iowa recov-
ered deep in Michigan territory.,
Bo soon replaced Harlan with his:
back-up Roosevelt Smith. When"
Huckleby went to the bench, the
cheers for Smith could not be
heard over the boos for Huckleby.
Also, somewhere in the crowd,
some revolting person, whom the-;
security should have removed,
from the stadium, had a signs
which read "Go Home Huckleby"
on one side and "We Want to
Win" on the reverse. Who do
these people think we have on our"
team - professionals? (Besides,,
they sure changed their tune in
the fourth quarter when Harlan
had another fine run.)
Our players come to the Uni-
versity for an education in foot-
ball, along with the normal col-
lege education. They come here
to learn the skills and techniques
of becoming a professional, just,
as they go to classes to study to bee
a professional. No one has ever
stated that we have professional"
football players playing on our,.
Wolverine team, and no one
should expect them to play as
such. These crowds think that the
football players have nothing else
on their minds but football. Our
team works; hard, and no one has
the right to boo any player until
the time when that individual is
lucky enough to play profes-
sional.
As far as Huckleby is coh-
cerned, the person who had the
sign at the game forgot about the
signs that had been printed previ-
ously - "Huckleby for
Heisman." Again, Harlan never
said that he would win the
Heisman or even that he was
aiming for it this year. The fans
were pro-Heisman for Huckleby
and now they have turned against
him. If they would only think
back at all the remarkable feats
that Harlan has accomplished in
his three years at Michigan or
watch the opening films of Bo's
show, Michigan Replay, they.
would see how good a player Har-
Ian is. Everyone fumbles and
everyone makes mistakes. Don't
let them get you down, Huck, we
still love you.
- Marcie E. Greenfield
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TESTIFY ABOUT WHO RECEIVED PAYOLAI
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Letters should be typed and limited
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right to edit letters foc length and
grammar.
I Mm wr '
LO.OKING
.7SG JVVELVAL
a _
Ir
BACK
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
MSA turns around
) H, MSA, you are jolly to have
around. The Student Organiza-
ons Board turned absolutely 180
agrees this week, changed its mind,
rid decided to give space to small
udent organizations in the Union.
Michele Sprayregen, chairwoman of
ne board, said a couple of weeks ago
hat "there had been problems in the
ast" with giving offices to political and
thnic groups. Now they were not
alking about the Young Republicans,
versy looms in the coming weeks,
though, as University powerbrokers
finger options for housing other groups.
Follies with Ford
J ERRY FORD came back to Ann Ar-
bor this week,'and though nobody
thought it was going to be a big deal to
have him around for a second time, it
turned out to be fun anyway. There's
something about having an ex-
president on campus - even though
you may not agree with his politics, and
the world hunger problem. Old Jerr ac-
ted as if he hadn't even heard the ques-
tion - he talked for almost four
minutes about strategic arms talks and
didn't say the word "hunger" once.
Considering that the guy might be run-
ning for president again, you'd think he
would want to say something contro-
versial, like, "Yeah, I think we ought to
solve the world hunger problem."
* He did make one controversial
statement, though - while referring to
the Allen Bakke affirmative action case
- Ford said he doesn't believe in racial
made a final bid for reconsideration of
their case, this time in a motion for a
new trial to Judge Philip Pratt; who has
heard the case from the beginning.
Michael Moran, speaking on the nur-
ses' behalf, once again told Pratt that
the prosecution's case is based on in-
sufficient circumstantial evidence and
a doctoring of testimony and witness
scheduling which made the trial unfair.
Prosecutor Richard Delonis said the
charge was false, and that Moran and
the nurses were being, in effect, poor
snorts about the whole thing. They lost,
convinces Pratt, who has. "taken the
matter under advisement." There's no
word on when he'll decide whether to
start the whole thing over again.
"
Taking the DNA plunge
I T WAS an historic week. A medium-
risk historic week.
Following years of impassioned de-
bate, two University professors took to
guidelines regulating the controversia
research.
Schmickel and Wilson hope throug
their experimentation to unearth ir
proved methods for predicting disease
such as Down's Syndrome.
A microbiology professor has alj
announced plans to kick-off DNA expel
imentation to determine how a monkej
virus induces cancer in mice and wha
genes are responsible for causing can
cer.
Ti'r v~r~ innrr MAnnntla~c f 4