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W .,:ee
A
year
in
review
Transportation workers strike
19 76
Daily Photos by
ALAN BILINSKY
Cagers top Big Ten
Police put a damper on Hash Bash
1977
By JAY LEVIN
For many in the University and in -Ann Arbor, the past year
offered both a string of frustrations aid a time to rejoice. Even
with some of the more mundane aspects of everyday life, it would
be inappropriate to call those 12 months anything but exciting.
Hardly had students broken in their backpacks when, in Sep-
tember, the community was polishing itself for then-President Ger-
ald Ford's first of three trips to campus-this time to initiate his
Republican campaign for the presidency. It was a thrilling time
for local residents-many of whom were still recovering'from their
summer hangovers and weren't enveloped in their classes, anyway.
Ford's campaign kick-off had all the ingredients of the stuff extra-
vaganzas are made of-noisy demonstrations, the news media, a
loud firecracker, banners telling Jerry to go home to Grand Rapids,
and even Bob Ufer, the somewhat partisan voice of the Wolverines,
FOR THE FIRST TIME in recent memory, Ann Arbor was at
the top of the newspages and Ann Arbor ate it up. When Ford left,
the campus quickly settled back to what it thought would be the
business at hand-academics and Big Ten sports.
But not for long. As the days became shorter and nighttime
hung earlier, it became apparent that campus women were being
terrorized by an alarming series of attacks and rapes which, pad-
locked the normally free-wheeling campus. Seldom did women tra-
verse darkened streets unescorted. The University even arranged
for a special "Nite Owl" bus service to shuttle students under the
starlight. Worst of all, the fear of attacks became an unsettling
constant of student life.
But never mind that for a minute. On November 20, time stood
still. On that day, the Michigan Wolverines, who under Bo Schem-
bechler were knocking off opponents (except Purdue) each week,
blanked the bad Buckeyes from Ohio State, 22-0. It was a night of
celebration in Ann Arbor after the game-you had to wait in mam-
moth lines to enter the bars. Toilet paper and confetti lined the
Diag. Rather messy, but no one seemed to care. Michigan was,
once and for all, number one. That is, until January 1, when the
Wolverines travelled to Pasadena and returned with thorns rather
than roses-USC 14, Michigan 6, Ann Arbor 0. It was a frustrating
thing to face upon returning from Christmas break.
ANOTHER FRUSTRATING thing students came back to face
was the weather. Wind chill factors which often dipped well below
zero beleaguered the entire state of Michigan, Ann Arbor notwith-
standing. One winter's Friday was outrageous-the winds were
whipping at a frightening clip and snow swirled over the tundra-
like campus. At least the University closed early that day.
But we'd been warmed in December by the inspiring perform-
ance of the nimble little gymnast from Russia-Olga Korbut-~who
twisted and turned and vaulted during a night of acrobatics at
Crisler Arena with a team from her native land.
- In February, after much deliberation and speculation, 2,300
campus service and maintenance employes walked off their jobs
in a strike which, among other things, disrupted food service in the
dormitories (which proves that every cloud has a silver lining.)
Seriously, though, the campus routine was upset for 26 days-gar-
bage sat uncollected, bathroonis and hallways collected dirt and
bus service was fractured. Worse, though, the walkout was marred
by some rather unattractive confrontations between Ann Arbor po-
lice-who some people charged were being used by the University
as strike-breakers-and strikers and student sympathizers.
DURING THE WALKOUT, though, students were able to divert
their attention to the newest group of campus heroes-Johnny Orr's
hoopsters. Number one for a good part of the season, the cagers
mowed down opponents much the same way as their football friends
next door. But Ann Arbor wasn't destined to shoulder a champion-
ship squad this year, for the mighty cagers were rudely eliminated
in the NCAA playoffs by a little-known team from the University
of North Carolina-Charlotte.
The annual Hash Bash kicked off the month of April with the
fragrant perfume of pot hovering over the Diag and a beefed-up
police force braced to quell any unnecessary acts of misdeed by
the light-headed participants. Nothing happened, luckily, but the
predominantly high-school/drifter crowd left in its wake an out-
landish, rubble-strewn Diag. It was disgusting.
Later that week, Ahn Arbor Mayor Albert Wheeler won re-
election over Republican Louis Belcher by a lone vote. In a city of
100,000,-that's pretty odd. The president, or former president, this
time, dropped by for a third visit as adjunct professor of political
science. (Ford's second visit was a brief appearance at December
commencement exercises, where wife Betty received an honorary
degree). Jerry drew from his vast reservoir of political experiences
to address a number of enthusiastic graduate and undergrad
classrooms. No fanfare accompanied the distinguished- visitor this
time around, but the Secret Service sure did. Strolling through
Angell Hall that week was like walking along a Pentagon corridor.
Then came summer and down. came Barbour-Waterman gym-
nasium, a graceful old structure which had smelled of sweatsocks
for almost four generations. The blockbuster Ann Arbor VA Hos-
pital trial ended with two Filipino nurses being convicted of poison-
ing patients at the facility in 1975. City buses went on strike. And
what would the year be without a tuition hike? Well, the Regents
took care of that and topped the lazy summer off by approving an
8.75 per cent rise in rates.
Have a nice year!
Ford kicks of f campaign at Crisler
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