Mh if £41&izn Daitl
Eighty-Five Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

Excessive words

in

abundance

Thursday, September 18, 1975

News Phone: 764-0552

420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
NYC: The big squeeze

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS in New
York City Is a symptom of a sick
national economy which has ne-
glected the needs of human beings
and failed to confront the problems
of modernization. New York's deter-
iorating tax base, which is the root
of the current problem, is a result of
this neglect.
The middle classes fled to the sub-
urbs to escape, for one thing, the
filth produced by factories which

Ford-slighting
the Big Apple
were not ordered to control their
odious poisons. Unfortunately, the
flight to suburbs only increased the
automobile traffic which in turn ex-
acerbated the problem.
Meanwhile, the poor and those
with faith in the future In New York
suffer the most. If the federal gov-
ernment does not take the lead in
the fight against pollution factories
will use the threat to move to crip-
ple a city's or state's anti-pollution
efforts,
THE SAME FEDERAL government
which chooses to passively dis-
regard the mounting pollution prob-
lem is actively maintaining its im-
perialistic stranglehold on Puerto
Rico. Tax policy there has unfairly
aided the hotels and corporations
while impoverishing the Puerto Rican
residents and forcing an influx of
people to an already badly over-
crowded New York City. Again, a
national policy compounded the
city's own problems.
Unfortunately, C a b i n e t mem-
bers as well as President Ford and
Vice President Rockefeller seem al-
most glad that NYC is in danger of
default. The Federal Bank is mak-
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Tom Allen, Gordon Atcheson,
Barbara Cornell, Ted Evanoff, Ann
Marie Lipinski, Jeff Ristine, David
Whiting
Editorial Page.: Gordon Atcheson,
Marc Basson, Steve Harvey, Debra
Hurwitz, Theresa McCracken, Ro-
bert Miller, Ruth Miller
Arts Page: James Valk
Photo Technician: Paulin'e Lubens

ing provisions to deal with the finan-
cial consequences of a default on the
banks, yet it is doing nothing to avert
such a default.
In fact, the only long-range solu-
tion these laissez-faire hypocrites can
offer is to "spend less money". Essen-
tially, they want the federal govern-
ment to use its money to bail out
financially insecure defense contrac-
tors and provide incentives to oil
companies to produce inane TV com-
mercials for prime time viewing.
NEW YORK CITY, on the other
hand, provides benefits via wel-
fare to those who are not unable to
work as well as those who cannot
find employment. Moreover, hos-
pitalization is granted at minimal
cost to those who cannot afford pri-
vate hospitals.
In addition, the City University
system offers an education to those
who would be unable to obtain one
otherwise. These are all responsibili-
ties which the federal government
should fulfill.
The reason for this inactivity on
the federal level is that Ford, like
.Kissinger, is a "political realist".
Kissinger, for example, is not moved
by the fact that 800 million people
are on the verge of starvation. Rath-
er it is their potential as a "disrup-
tive political force" which makes him
believe something should be done to
remedy the situation.
Is the lesson of this that the poor,
ae'ed and unemployed of our cities
will not receive any help until they
become "politically disruptive"?
TT IS, OF COURSE, the poor, aged
and workers who are suffering the
crisis in New York. Wages are re-
pressed, workers have been laid off,
and basic services have been cut
back while the banks are increasing
their interest rates on loans.
While political leaders are calling
-for everyone to work together, com-
munity and labor leaders have not
been placed on any of the decision-
making boards. The decision to in-
crease subway fares to 50 cents (and
thereby take as much as 500 dollars
per year out of the workingman's
salary) was made by the "business
community" representatives w h o
comprise the Municipal Assistance
Cornoration.
America's cities can be rehabili-
tated by developing their rapid tran-
sit systems. diminishing their pollu-
tion. and eliminating unemployment.
Tritiatives in this direction must be
taken by the federal government be-
cause only it has the resources re-
quired for such an endeavor.
Photography Staff
KEN FINK PAULINE LUBENS
*hief Photographer Picture Editor
E. SUSAN SHEINER ..S.Staff Photographer
GORDON TUCKER.......... Staff Photographer

By JIM TOBIN
MOURN THE FATE of our words. Assaulted by the
diseases of indifference and ignorance, our words
will soon pass unnoticed from the scene. Buried under
the barrage of "you knows" and "irregardlesses" will
be a wonderful tool which people used to use to ex-
press themselves.
But no more. No, we use our language to stifle
thought, cripple understanding, and above all, encour-
age silence, a thing far, more desirable than the sludge
that oozes from our mouths today.
The disappearance of eloquence, the art of express-
ing a thought in a striking way, has been bemoaned
by NBC's Edwin Newman in his recent bestseller
"Strictly Speaking," by Time Magazine in a recent
special essay, and by people across the country who
are stunned by the ever-deteriorating wasteland of
American English. Some fear it will never recover.
SO MOURN THE fate of our words. Or perhaps I
should say, mourn the fate of our word situation. No,
better yet, mourn the fate factor of our word situation.
Or for maximum emphasis, enter into a mourning sit-
uation over the fate factor of our word situation!
What in the name of decency prompts people to pile
useless phrase upon useless words in sentences which,
if left the hell alone, might make some sense? A
couple of weeks ago I heard a Detroit disc jockey,
whose name I mercifully withhold, urged his Sunday
audience to indulge in a "self-examination of self."
How this dual process was to occur I'm not quite sure,
but apparently the gentleman felt it would be more
effective if people would perform it twice, or to two
different selves, or in twice the time, or perhaps
once during the day and once at night. But he cer-
tainly had one point nailed to the wall: any self-
examination will surely be an examination of oneself.
No doubt factor about it.
HERE AT THE University is a treasure trove of
excess verbiage. Professor and student 'alike. are
deeply fond of words and phrases which, while hav-

ing nothing to do with clear expression, have a deli-
cious intellectual flavor which simply cannot be re-
sisted. A classmate of mine, relating in stirring fashion
his deep feeling for history, said he felt he had to be
cognizant of what has happened before. And, the ma-
jesty of being cognizant of something! How much
more rewarding than simply knowing it!
Some people are not satisfied with the words our
language provides. My history professor spoke the
other day of the tremendous outflow of people from
the British Isles during the nineteenth century. I am
not sure how much greater an outflow of people is
than a mere flow of people, but surely it must run

Hlealth Service Handbook:
Behind the Blue Door

into the millions. What else would justify such an
emphatic term as "outflow?"
THIS SORT OF combination of words in the interest
of sounding more authoritative is something for which
I can sustain little upput. The upmove of such a trend-
pattern is self-disturbing, and we should all pray
fervently for its downgo, as well as the downgo, also,
of all creeping threats to our language, too-
We hope to take notice of some of those here on
a regular basis.
Jim Tobin is-a staff writer for the Daily.

By SYLVIA HACKER
and NANCY GARWOOD
Q: I don't feel like ever go-
ing back to Health Service. Last
week, when I was feeling sick
as a dog, the doctor I saw there
was cold, abrupt, and imperson-
al. What's with you?
A: You've got a grouch. There
are those kinds in any service
staffed by humans. We know
when you're sick you're espe-
cially vulnerable and want lots
more TLC than usual. So when
you run into an m.d. who isn't
particularly a charmer, or per-
haps is having a problem in his
or her own life, it's not too hap-
py a combination. However, we
urge you to come back. Under-
neath ituall, we love you. Like
with everything else, you have
to shop for a doctor you like,

and then stick with him or her.
When you find the one who fits
your temperament, you can ask
for that doctor whenever you
return.
Q: I am a new graduate stu-
dent here and would like to
know if my husband can get
treated at the Health Service.
A: Of course. Our love is
large enough to extend to
spouses, too. Husbands and
wives of all students are eli-
gible for treatment at Health
Service. However, since they do
not pay tuition, (which partial-
ly covers care here) they would
have to pay a fee of $7.00 for
treatment. We are sorry to say
that children of students are not
eligible for care at Health Serv-
.ice. Incidentally, our booklet,
"For What's Bugging You," has

lots of information about us. If
you don't have one, come in and
pick one up.
Q: My father insists that pre-
scribing birth control for stu-
dents encourages promiscuity. Is
there any evidence for or
against that notion?
A: We did some historical (as
well as hysterical) research on
this topic and guess what? From
time immemorial (even before
cars were invented) people and
other forms of life have loved
sex madly. The lack of birth
control has never stood in the
way of finding ingenious and
creative approaches to satisfy-
ing this greatest of all urges.
What we do know is that the
lack of contraceptive informa-
tion stands in the way of respon-
sible sex. Sol Gordon, in his

book on adolescent sexuality, in-
forms us that youthful ignorance
goes hand in hand with an in-
clination toward greater risk
taking,hcharacterized not only
by higher rates of sexual activ-
ity, but also by a failure to take
precautions against pregnancy
and VD. A high level of knowl-
edge tends to be associated with
a more cautious and responsible
approach to sexual behavior. So
what is promiscuity? It is a
heavily value-laden word which
means different things to dif-
ferent people. You have a choice
as to whether (and/or when- you
want to be sexually active, but
when you decide to, use your
head before you use your geni-
tals. When you come out against
copulation control, go in for'
birth control. Prevent unwanted
children !
Q: I'm planning to go 'to Eu-
rope. Is there any place at
Health Service where I can get
information on shots needed in
different countries?
A: Not only does our Immun-
ization Clinic give information,
but it helps students, spouses,
and faculty with travel immun-
ization planning. This means
that they work out with you an
immunization program which in-
cludes the time period for the
spacing of certain shots, as well
as providing the vaccines.
Q: I'm furious. I had to wait
a whole month for an appoint-
ment to get birth control, so the
blazes with Health Service. I
borrowed my friend's pills and

we've. decided to share them
from now on.
A: The noise you just heard
was three people fainting here
at the Gynecology clinic. You
can't borrow other women's
birth control pills! Pill dosages
are individually prescribed and
matched as closely as possible
to your body type and your med-
ical history. You can be doing
yourself a lot of physical dam-
age by taking any medication
not prescribed specifically for
you. It's true you have to wait
for an appointment since the
gynecology clinic serves a huge
population here' on campus, but
you'd probably have to wait
even longer for a private medi-
cal appointment. So, for heav-
en's sake, make an appointment
to find out which contraceptive
method is best for you (we dis-
cuss all' q them) and while
you're waiting, come to our
Health Service pharmacy and
buy some condoms and foam.
The two of them used together
are almost as effective as the
pill for pregnancy prevention.
Send all questions about
health concerns to:
The Health Educators
U. of M. Health Service,
Rm. 4 basement
Fletcher Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sylvia Hacker and Nancy
Garwood are health educators
at the UM Health Service.

I

Letters to The Daily

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M.V
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tuition
To The Daily:
THE CUTS ARE coming down
on everyone, although obviously
in different ways - students are
fighting for the right to an edu-
cation, while workers are fight-
ing for their very livelihood. But
there's a lot of. over-lap - a lot
of clericals, for instance, are
working to put their spouses
through school, while a lot of
students work in the dormitories
or as temporaries, and are find-
ing their wages forcibly held
down. This latest tuition hike
obviously affects mainly stu-
dents, but it affects workers in-
directly. For one thing, when-
ever tuition goes up and finan-
cial aid becomes scarce, it's al-
ways children from working-
class families - especially mi-
nority working-class families --
that are the first to get squeezed
out. But more than that, behind
every tuition payment there's
either a student putting himself
or herself through school, or a
hard-working family trying to
make ends meet - this hike af-
fects all of these people.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TO
STUDENTS:
" increased tuition
" increased dorm rates
" cuts in services
" cuts in financial aid
" general deterioration in the
quality of education
WHAT'S HAPPENING TO
WORKERS:
" increased firings, and lay-offs
through attrition
" speed-up
" job combination
" hiring freeze
" real wages down
" general deterioration of work-
ing conditions.
BUT THE MAIN point is not
how this tuition hike affects
workers. Asthe list above indi-
cates, workers are fighting their
own battles - battles that in-
volve their ability to continue
mraking a living, and we be'ieve
that students can be allies in
that fight. More and more, we
students are coming to recog-
nize that students and workers
have a common interest in op-
nosing the University. As the

salary increases which we have
had to make during the past
year". But the fact of the mat-
ter is that it's not the workers
who are to blame, but the econ-
omic crisis that is running ram-
pant throughout our whole so-
ciety. It's not the workers' fault
if the cost of living goes up -
it's working people's right and
duty to defend their standard of
living against all attacks. Cleri-
cal workers, for example, are
still incredibly underpaid, and
they deserve every penny they
can get. There's no denying that
the University is in a crisis, but
it's a question of who's going to
-pay for that crisis - is it going
to be us, the workers and the
students, or is it going to be
them -the University adminis-
tration, the state and the cor-
porations? If they ask us where
are they going to get the money,
we'll ask theme right back:
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO
GET THE MONEY? - you've
got a lot more than we do.
WORKERS AND STUDENTS
have a history of working to-
gether. During the 1970 BAM
strike for higher black enroll-
ment, etc., the AFSCME union
honored the picket lines and is-
sued a statement of support for

the demands. More recently,
during the strike by the Gradu-
ate E m p 1 o y e s Organization
(GEO), the different unions on
campus lent a lot of support,
but it hasn't all been one way -
lot of students are waiting on
the outcome of the clericals' sit-
uation, and are ready, willing,
and able to help out in the event
of a strike. But this is only a
start - we have to build a lot
more unity in the days to come,
especially as new cutbacks and
the possibility of lay-offs be-
comes more and more immin-
ent.
As we say in our statement of
unity, "The Committee to Fight
the Tuition Hike recognizes its
solidarity with workers . . . and
pledges (itself) to fight against
any cutbacks or lay-offs that the
administration may try to im-
plement."
IF YOU WOULD like to con-
tact us, or have some informa-
tion about working conditions
that we could help publicize,
either call us at 995-8957, or
leave a. message at the Student
Government Council office (763-
3242).
The Committee to Fight
the Tuition Hike
Sept. 17, 1975

j.4
'}

SGC NOTES:
A eapromising future
By DEBRA GOODMAN
THEN DAVE MITCHELL and I took over as executive
officers of SGC last May we set out to rebuild the coun-
cil into an active body ready to meet the needs of stu-
dents. We knew it would be an incredible task. We're not
just starting from scratch, we're starting perhaps farther
back than that, since the last council left behind it a legacy
of clowning and inaction. But, 'somehow the word got out
that we are a whole new council, and the communications
seem to be building themselves with minimum effort on our
part.
Student Government Council serves many func-
tions. They've always had an organizational job of recogniz-
ing and coordinating student organizations, and interviewing
students for placement on decision-making university com-
mittees. One or two hard-working people usually managed
to get these jobs done.
BUT THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT Council is a strong-
hold of potentials. A functional council should really become
the mouthpiece, coordinator and advocate for students that
it was meant to be. We are structuring a council wherein
everyone, members and officers alike, put in all the time
they can. No longer does the bulk of the work rest on a few
shoulders. Things are getting done in a network of com-
mittees and responsibilities. We are inviting members from
each school and college government to join a coordinating
committee, designed to link student governments together.
And we are inviting all interested students to come and
be a part of their government.
Fifty neople working in the same direction, and coordi-
nating their efforts with other students organizations and
councils will build a power structure that can begin to

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