Thursday, September 9, 19764

- THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Pae Nino

Thursday, September 9, 1976 THE MICHIGAN DAILY

gU 4 .11


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Pos till faces trial
on assault charge.
(Continued from Page 1) witnesses, including Baysinger,
that Postill threw his wife, Shir- who testified that they saw Pos-
ley, against a parked car when till use the handcuffs to choke
she attempted to stop the fight. Baysinger.
The Baysingers initiated the Outside the courtroom Bush
court action against Postill after said that Arkison had conducted
both state and county police a "fair hearing" but that his
failed to find sufficient evidence conclusion had been "based only
to charge Postill with felonious on facts from certain witnesses
assault. They also filed $190,000 rather than the incident as a
damage suits against Postill whole."
and Donley. Bush added, "I personally
Arkison annoui.. ed his deci- can't wait to go ,to trial to
sion immediately after Postill's see the sheriff vindicated."
attorney, Neal Bush, and as- Postill called the incident and
sistant county presecutor Lyn- its aftermath the third part of
wood Noah had rested their a three-pronged attack on his
cases. character and performance as
ARKISON REFERRED to sheriff.
Donley as the "pugilist" and "We have already cleared two
said that Postill had not "de- of the counts (a charge of beat-
sisted when he should have, thus ing a jail inmate and a charge
acting as the aggressor." His of misuse of jail funds) and
decision was based, he said, showed them to be political at-
on testimony given by three tacks," he said.

RECOMBINANT DNA:
Controversial genetic research approved
RD .iT T T1I rC1t~iT lr - o~c " t,,,n. 1 L . _t.

Dsy JIM lUMJDN'
The University will soon un-
dertake-one of the most con-
troversial scientific studies ever
conducted . a series of gene-
tic alteration experiments
which stands teetering between
a potential for great benefits to
mankind and a potential for
great risks.
A field which is only five
years old, the research utilizes
an incredibly minute process
which deals with the very sub-
stance that distinguishes life
from the inanimate - DNA
molecules, the most basic ele-
ments of genetics.
THE PROCEDURE sounds
relatively insignificant: genes
carry hereditary "information,"
and when microbiologists com-
bine DNA molecules from one
organism with DNA molecules
from a wholly different species,

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Mie two sets of "information"
are also combined. This is the
creation of a new gene, and the
ramifications of that break-
through have generated intense
speculation and disagreement.
Combining the DNA strands
of two different viruses could,
forseeably generate new, incur-
able diseases, said some. But
the same sort of experimenta-
tion might also provide a cure
for cancer, others argued.
The debate began at the Uni-
versity in 1975 when University
Vice President for Research
Charles Overberger appointed
a group of faculty members -
"Committee B" - to study
the potential of the research
and recommend whether the
University - should allocate
$306,000 for renovation of lab-
oratories for "high-risk" DNA
work. So-called "low-risk" work
was already proceeding.
The committee as well as the
public divided into those who
favored the research for its
possible benefits and those who
opposed it; either because they
thought precautions were in-
sufficient, because they feared
that genetic discoveries would

be exploited, or because they
disliked the concept of tamper-
ing with the nature of life
forms. Many scientists sided
with the former group; many
involved in humanities bolstered
the latter.
COMMITTEE B MEMBER
S h a w Livermore, a history
professor, headed up opposi-
tion to the research advocates.
Scorning the claim that the
research could lead to a new
sort of biological weaponry,
Professor of Molecular Biology
Robert Helling said, "It is a fal-
lacy that a maniac could use
this sort of technology. Even if
he were sane enough to use it,
I he would presumably be able to
use a known pathogen, like bu-
bonic plague."
The Committee B wrangling
led to a two-day forum held at
the Michigan League for ex-
perts from around the nation.
A Nobel Prize-winning profes-
sor of biology, David Baltimore
of MIT, cited the potential
health benefits and emphasized
the possibility that the re-
search could deal with viruses
associated with cancer.

BeA LT IMO RE ' S col-
league, Biology Professor Jona-
than King, called Baltimore's
assertions "a series of social
myths and half - truths," claim-
ing there was no evidence that
viruses were linked to cancer.
He went on to say that taking
advice on genetic research from
actual researchers was "like a
vinyl chloride manufacturer

telling you the benefits of vinyl
chloride."
Finally, acknowledging a min-
imal risk, Committee B approv-
ed the research in late March
with only Livermore opposed.
"IT IS imperceptible to con-
clude that no action should fol-
low on such uncertainty," read
the Committee report, "since
inaction is obviously itself ac-

tion, and may have consequen-
ces as unpredictable as other
courses of conduct. This is the
case on recombinant DNA.
There are many occasions in
human affairs when, even after
intensive, far-minded scrutiny
of all apparently relevant fac-
tors, the shortcomings of our
predictive capacities leave the
future still clouded."

'U', GEO still at loggerheads

(Continued from Page 1)
to guide departments in hiring'
women and minorities.
Now the GEO claims the Uni-
versity has reneged on its pro-
mise, and wants to strengthen
the affirmative action commit-,
ment in the new contract. The
University claims it will indeed
establish goals-but that the pro-
cess of gathering data about
hiring and then establishing new
guidelines is difficult and time-
consuming.
- Non-discrimination. The un-
ion won a fairly strong non-bias
clause in the 1975,-dispute, pro-
tecting GSAs against discrimi-
nation on the basis of race, sex,
age, national origin, color,
cteed, or sexual preference.
The last clause was the tough-
est to win in 1975, and now the
union wants to expand it to
ensure that no GSA is discrim-
inated against for "public dis-
plays" of homosexual affection.
It also wants the non-bias clause
to cover 'the use of drugs and
alcohol, as long as such use
is unrelated to performance on
the job.
The University claims the un-
ion is taking the issue too far,
that the current clause covers
any foreseeable conflicts. It also
reserves _ the right to determine
what behavior is job-related and
what is not, over union objec-
tions.
WHILE THE GEO has proven
that it can pull off a strike and
use it as a lever on negotia-

tions, it must
complications
union itself.

deal with
inherent

several
in the

- Even though the 1975 strike
was generally seen as a suc-
cess, the GEO had 'as a thorn
in its side the many teaching
assistants, research assistants,
and staff assistants who refused
to support the strike. The lead-
ership, somewhat left of the
union' s center, has alienated
many GSAs. If another walkout
is to succeed, the union will
have to muster support all over
again, and the task will not be
easy; GSAs' salaries are diffi-
cult to live on, and a prolonged
strike without wages would be
devastating to many.
UNLIKE TRADITIONAL labor
unions, the GEO's membership
changes constantly with the ebb
and flowof graduate students
in Ann Arbor. The leadership
changes as well. Thus, it is diffi-
cult for party leaders as well
as outsiders to predict whether
the membership, substantially
different from the one that
walked out a year and a half
ago, will duplicate the actions
of their predecessors.
--Tu GEO is pressured from
a v v of special interest
groin >articularly gays and
blacks. This is not uncommon
for a union, but the disparate
demands of these groups, partic-
ularly when they come from
people uneducated in the prag-

matic, give-and-take process oft
labor negotiations, are difficults
to accommondate, and divisive.-
THE UNIVERSITY has its own
share of conditions to assess:
- A strike is hard on both
administrators and faculty, and
it makes for poor public rela-
tions. Departments forced to
have their professors work over-
time, grumble to administra-
tors; many professors and stu-
dents protest that the union's!
demands shoult be met immedi-
ately. Parents, seeing their chil-!
dren out of class, point to their
tuition checks and ask for teach-
ers in return. In almost any
strike, management appears the
oppressor while the union ap-
pears the righteous underdog.
The position is unpleasant. ;
THE UNIVERSITY dislikes!
negotiating with a group of ideo-
logical graduate students who
are completely without bargain-
ing experience. The process
moves faster and more to the
a d m i n i stration's satisfaction
when the participants are old
haids. GEO often chooses its
most fervent ideologues to rep-
resent it at the bargaining table,
and administration bargainers
frequently throw up their hands
at what they regard as hope-
lessly unrealistic stances. But
this can work to the union's ad-
vantage; such radicalism some-
times makes positions which the
University would not otherwise
consider, seem tenable.


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