i

Eighty-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109

ABENG advertising: Dereliction of duty

Saturday, January 29, 1977

News Phone: 764-0552

Edited and managed by students at the Oniversity of Michigan

Weekend meal transfer'
costs dormitory community

WITH ANOTHER tuition hike loom-
ing on the horizon and an in-
crease in room and . b o a r d rates
inevitable, the efforts of the Rate
Study Committee to hold the line on
food service costs should be com-
mended. But it has violated the phi-
losophy of a total education, and the
dorm identity that have character-
ized the University's dormitory pro-
gram.
The question is not whether the
cafeterias at Couzens, Markley, and
South Quad could -handle the influx
of diners from neighboring halls on
weekends. The lines would lengthen
and the hours would be extended,
but the scramble systems would still
pump s t u d e n t s thi'ough at -the
breathtaking rate of 11 per minute.
What is at stake is the quality of
student life at the University. Should
the learning that goes on over re-
laxed weekend meals come to an
end? And should the communal at-
mosphere created by parties and
special dinners be sacrificed?
We must also protest the distribu-
tion of the advisory survey to dorms
unaffected by the impositions of the
program. It is unfair to ask four of
the ten dorms whether or not they
would like a rate decrease at the
inconvenience of the other dorms.
WE SUGGEST that the Rate Study
Committee take another look at
the alternatives. It should direct its
energies towards eliminating waste
and poor purchasing by the food serv-
ices. The committee should consult
kitchen workers to see how money
could be saved in the preparatirn
and serving of food.
At the very least, if the decision to

consolidate is made, dorm directors
and kitchen workers should be asked
to help implement the p r o g r a m.
Markley Director L e r o y Williams
would like to see a permanent con-
solidation committee composed of
students, dieticians, and building
staff. Leon West, drector of West
Quad, says that an optional weekend
meal contract would allow students
to decide whether or not they want
to eat at another dorm on weekends.
When the results of the survey
are tabulated we hope that the Com-
mittee, represented by Judy Di Mat-
tia, will interpret them with con-
sideration for the educational at-
mosphere now offered at dorms on
campus.
This idwestern
Winter Sits
This midvestern winter si/s.
I think he has time on his hands.
"Sit, Sit, Staaay, Good Bo!"
Though I only know them in
I suspect he's the next-door
neighbor's pet,
self-defense,
I argue he's more theirs than
mine.
But I don't have time for pedigrees.
I said, "Down, Dainn-it-all. Sit!"
Time and again I chewed him on!
But I'm fed up and he's hardly
a iP I'.
So u'hy should I act like a warm
woolen lal,
W hen he's lifting his leg
Onn , trousers.

ABENG, the minority student organization in East1
Quad, was allocated 1200 dollars from East Quad
Representative Assembly (RA) budget to finance the
Black Arts and Culture Festival. On November 4, 1976,
a resolution was proposed and passed by the RA read-
ing: "Any group which uses RA funds for any activity
must have thtat activity open to the East Quad/Resi-
dential College community and fully pubzlicized prior
to the event." Usage of the 1200 dollars allocated to
ABENG, of which 1150 dollars was used, was contin-
gent on their fulfillment of the stipulations of the RA's
resolution. ABENG understood the provisions under
which they received their allocation. They did not meet
these provisions.
Last weekend, the Black Arts and Culture Festival
was held in the East Quad. Events occurred from Fri-
day evening, January 21, through Sunday, January 23.
I know that the festival was held during that time per-
iod, because on the Friday evening of its opening some-
one told me about it. I cursed my ignorance at not hav-
ing been aware of the festival beforehand.
It seems, though, that I wasn't alone in not being
aware of the existence of the festival. Apparently I am
one of a very large number of East Quad residents
who knew nothing of the festival. This seemed strange.
How could so many people not be aware that a major
event of this sort was taking place? Answer: The fes-
tival was very badly publicized.
This answer raises two very crucial questions. What
was the reason that the festival was so, poorly adver-
tised, and by poorly advertising it, was ABENG violat-
ing the conditions under which they received Vast
Quad money?
j PUT THESE questions to many people in the East
Quad. Among the people ques ioned were members
of the Representative Assembly, members of ABENG,
organizers of the festival and students-at-large through-
out the dorm. Responses varied to the specific ques-
tions, but there was nearly unanimous dissatisfaction
wi h the amount and types of advertising. Furthermore,
there were strong indications from many people close
to the situation that the poor publicity campaign was
not entirely accidental.
Sue Johnson is a resident of East Quad who was a
member of the RA when ABENG's allocation request
was okayed, and.when the resolution concerning adver-
tising was passed . She has since resigned her seat on
the council. When asked if she thought that ABENG
had violated the provisions of the RA resolution, she
replied, "What they did was in direct conflict with
the motion."
She then went on to relate to me a telephone con-
versation she had on Thursday evening (the night be-
fore the opening of the festiva') with Marina Shoe-
maker, University Service Counse'or and director of
the Black Arts and Culture Festival. Johnson' says she
called Shoemaker that night to inquire as to why there
weren't many posters up in the dorom, since the fes-
tival was opening the next day. She also reminded
Shoemaker of the provisions of the RA resolution. She
claims that Shoemaker answered, "When people in the
dorm walk by they'll see that something is going on."
This conversation has been verified by Shoemaker.
The next afternoon, Saturday, I walked around the
dorm to see if any forms of advertising were visible.
By the front desk, I saw a loose-leaf sized piece of
white paper whoch read: "Art Exhibit, Room 126".
There was an arrow on the sign; it was pointing in the
wrong direction. Directly across from Room 126, there
was a similar piece of white paper with the same mes-

sage, but no arrow. On a bulletin board in a hall of
Strauss House. there was a small white piece of paper
that had a schedule of festival events on it.,Through-
out the entire quad, these were he only announcements
of festival activities.
I WALKED INTO the Art Exhibit. Of the roughly
twenty people in the room at the time that I en ered, I
was the only white person. During the duration of my
stay there, a few more white people came in and out,
but the room :was mostly popula ed with blacks.
- I questioned Marina Shoemaker about the festival. I
asked her if she felt that ABENG adhered to the provi-
sions of the RA resolution with their advertising policy.
She replied, "TJnder the conditions, known only to
ABENG members and advisers, yes." She went on to
tell me that there was some advertising, in the form
of flyers passed out on the Diag, and announcements
on some radio stations, in addition to a few signs in
the dorm and the chemistry building. There was also
a large poster put up on the ABENG bulletin board in

nounced by ABENG at any Representative Assembly
meeting."'
The issue came to a head at the Representative
Assembly meeting of Thursday, January 27, when 'ex-
RA member Sue Johnson, through Ramon Stevens,
introduced a constitutional amendinent to the RA con-
stitution that would have set out explicit provisions as
to how far in advance any event receiving RA alloca-
tions would have to be publicized under 'penalty of
having to return the money if the conditions were not
met. Much discussion pro and con entailed in a calm
manner until Kent Cady, ABENG Academic Adviser-
who incidentally threatened to sue .this columnist if
his name appeared in this article--took the floor and
proceeded to launcha vicious personal attack on John-
son and, through use of crude jokes, succeeded to turn
an intelligent discussion into a circus side-show. Under
the weight of this attack, to which the rest of the Rep-
resentative Assembly members listened with increased
amusement, Johnson asked. Ramon Stevens to with-
draw the amendment, which he did. This was followed
by an apology by Cady for his personal attack on Sue
Johnson. Thus was the issue conveniently buried,
Legally buried, perhaps. But not forgotten. The fes-
tival was poorly advertised. Therefore, ABENG was
in violation of the RA resolution. Perhaps, not tech-
nically, because the word fully, in the context of the
resolution, is subject to possible legal interpretation.
But there is little doubt as to what the word really
means.

.

r-we,

MICHAEL BECKMAN
the East Quad. When asked if she felt that a poster
on the ABENG bulletin board, which was not likely to
be read by non-ABENG members was sufficient, she
replied, "Yes." When further queried as to why posters
weren't put up in places where they would be visible
to almost all of the dorm residents she said, "Posters
by the cafeteria would be 'degrading' to the festival."
I then asked her to explain some of the conditions
that she all"ded to earlier. She exolaihed to me that
the leadership of the publicity committee had changed
hands three times, that there were big organization
mix-ups a-d that they ran out of time.
I proceeded to question at random many dorm resi-
dents about their feelings on how well the festival was
advertised. Most of the people questioned said that
they did not wish to be qouted. However, most private-
ly conceded that hey were disappointed with the way
that the advertising was handled. When asked why
they thought that this was so, a few peyple, both white
and black, said that they believed that ABENG wanted
the festival to be for black people only. It should be
noted that this was not anywhere near a unanimous
opinion. In fact, many people claimed that they be-
slieved that there were ' absolutely no racial motives
involved. Eitan Yanich, an East Quad resident said,
"It seems that ABENG went to more lengths to inform
the rest of the University than they did to inform their
own EQ/Residential College community and I think
that this is wrong."
WHEN ASKED whether he felt that ABENG properly
advertised the festival in accordance with the resolu-
tion, RA member Ramon Stevens-who introduced the
proposal-stated: "No. Proper advertisement would
have included posters by the cafeteria and throughout
East Quad. Advertisements were not put in the EQ
newsletter, and the dates of the festival were not an-

T WERE ABENG'S motives for this poor pub-
ampaigi? The answer can only be guessed at.
asked if he tho'ight that the lack of advertising
vial overtones, Ramon :Stevens answered: "Not
bat clannishress. They had the festival for
ives .and for their firends in the University, and
go ot of their way to inite non-minority mem-
the East Quad Community."
a sked the same question, Marina Shoemaker
: "No."
't know if there were racial motives involved
LNG's advertising policy. I'd like to believe that
veren't, that it really was just a foul-up. But some
reasons given by the ABENG hierarchy just
and up to rational thinking.
could have afforded to eat a little of their
end lower themselves to putting up some posters
cafeterias. And if plans for the festival were
last November, there is simply no reason why
tblicity should n'ot have been planned well °ir
e. A late change in committee leadership is
not an insurmountable problem; that is if the
e is taken that there is a desire to solve the
n.
:ever ABENG's reasons or motivations, the end
was that many people in the East Quad missed
fine festival--so I'm told-that they contributed
: their dues towards, because, they had no way
ving of its existence.
that is a very big loss, for both blacks and
Events like the Black Arts and Culture Festival
signed to provide a common ground where dif-
ethnic groups can learn about-each other.'They
n't be strictly ethnocentric showcases:. The ex-
of ideas, works of art, dance styles and modes
ion are crucial if different races of people are
oing to learn to live side by side in harmony.
NG had, a chance to educate many people about
of the most beautiful aspects of Black culture
estyle. By their inactions, whatever their' moti-
s, they blew it.
that's very sad.
ent maintenance on properties they already own,
rU has consistently championed tenants with
iate grievances--shoddy conditions have been re-
, rent rebates have been won.
a landlords must realize is that TU is demanding
basic human right-the right to decent shelter
earable price. What TU must realize is that most
h not all) landlords are not crooks, simply cap-
. They will charge all the rent the market can
>r, forbidden to d& that, will simply invest else-
Arbor has one of the'highest standards of living
country. Though much of the wealth is concen-
in residential areas with privately owned homes,
hardly be argued that UM students are basically
One reason for the high rents-may thus be simply
eople who can pay higher rents will pay higher
-t

Supreme Court flunks again

IN EXAMINING the major Supreme
Court rulings over the past year
or so, it seems to us that they are
slowly - but surely - dismantling
every bit of progressive legislation
enacted during the last 20 years.
First it wad a string of obscenity
rulings, then it was capitaI punish-
ment. Last Tuesday, the High Court
dealt us another one-two punch by
weakening the M i r an d a criminal
rights, and telling the Indianapolis
area that ther busing program was
unconstitutional.
In the desegregation case, black
kids from Indianapolis were being
bused from the city to schools in
predominantly w h i t e suburbs. The
situation there wa not unlike that
proposed in the Detroit area some
'years ago. although the same basic
Nixon court short-circuited the plan
before it was ii._lerrerte.
Essentially, the Court is backing
off from its one-time strong support
for desegregation of the nation's
public schools. It's a fact that put:c
schools in northern cities are the,
most segregated; why can't the court
deal with them with the same vigi-
lance that they did with those schools
\ J
19

in the South? The same sick attitudes
exist, and in many cases the same
conditions exist-take a look at Chi-
cago (probably the biggest culprit
of them 4l), or Detroit, or Dayton,
or Kansas City, or Cleveland.
THE GREAT Loophole seems to be
that of not busing across school
district lines. W it h o u t making a
judgment .on families who move to
the, suburbs; any -great population
shift-such as has occurred over the
past decade in the major cities--is
bound to leave inequities in the over-
all educational system, and, as a re-
suit, some segregation--whether it be
by economic status or color, or both.
Suburbs are just as much a part
of the larz !r communities as the
eltie,3; they cane be excused, nor
forgotten, when solutions to com-
rjunity - type problems are formu-
lated and implemented. There's only
so far one can run from a problem
before there is no place else to hide;
the problem always catches up.
And there is only so far the Su-
preme Court can run before these
social blights catch up, and it will
take full and complete responsibility
when it does.

J
Y
S
I
E
r

A2

feels

the,

hiousing

By STU McCONNELL
LOOKING for reasonable housing in this city
find myself sympathyzing with Diogenes.
are you doing out on such a cold night?" my

I often
"What
friends

Pt

ask.
Wistfully I gaze into the clouds. "I am looking for
an inexpensive apartment." And they laugh - there
are no inexpensive apartments in Ann Arbor, only
high-priced rat traps.
Any city where tenants have to look for housing
eight months before they want to live in it, where
rent runs $150 for the former closet of a master bed-
room, and where no significant new housing has been
built in seven years is in a crisis situation.
Everyone ha1 7 own scapegoat. According to' the
Tenants Union (TU), the housing pinch is largely a
conspiracy of landlords to keep supply of housing low
and thus increase rent prices. The landlords claim
that city property taxes are too high and that the
potential of friction with the Tenants Union makes
rental property a risky investment.
There is some truth in both views. Ann Arbor's prop-
erty taxes are extraordinarily high, mostly because the
University sits on 2,579 acres of tax-free land. The dif-
ference has to be made up by increased levies on other
property.
Land prices are also sky-high, with the result that
most recent housing has been of the high rise variety
(Tower Plaza was completed in 1969). "If I were in-
volved in building, and I could build elsewhere, I
would, said Karen Fraccaro of Maize and Blue Man-
agement.
But even given high land prices and taxes, there has
been remarkably little, new housing, coupled with rent
increases which this year may be as high as 10%. In-
flation eats into the landlord's and realtor's profit mar-
gins, but very little of it is apparently going for devel-
opment of new units, which 'prompts TU to charge that
higher rents simply line landlords' pockets.
"The profit situation is that there's lots of demand
and no supply," asserted TU's Tom Cutsinger. "Why
else do you think they can charge $100 for rooms that
are pits?" Cutsinger feels there is a conscious effort
by landlords to hold supply down in order to hike rents.
If TU doesn't trust the landlords, the landlords dis-
trust TU in spades. They have watched a twelve-month
rent strike against Edith Epstein's Reliable Realty
which, though justifiable because of flagrant abuses of
tenants' rights by the company, has virtually ruined it.
Epstein and her husband are presently trying to flee
from the rental business by selling off units because,

lord and tenant is last year's contract with Trony,
which stipulates that rent increases above expenses
which can be proved by income tax returns are im-
permissable. The Trony contract may not 'be quite the
concession it appears, said one minor landlord, because
such "justifiable" expenses have been so high this year
that Trony may well be able to raise its rents even
higher than its competitors.
The irony of the situation is that fear of organized
tenants may be keeping some potential landlords from
entering the market, adding to the housing supply and
thus driving down rents. This is not to say that TU is
at fault for the situation, only that the union is, in ef-
fect, trying to turn back the tide where rents are-con-
cerned until more rental housing is available.
They have done a remarkably good job of it. The
financial roadblocks to new .rental housing do not ex-
cuse landlords from exorbitant rent increases and in-

SlI CK tir
9Aflo/