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U'
studies
abroad: An
overview
Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Friday, October 10, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Council: Fifth St. Follies
rVHE SHENANIGANS WHICH have
recently plagued the Monday
night City Cotncil meetings can
only lead the Ann Arbor community
to one conclusion: the city's legisla-
tive body is a sham. Short of rock-
slinging and arson there is little
the council members have not done
to disturb their weekly proceedings
and, with Mayor Wheeler as ring-
leader ,transform the Monday session
into a sideshow to rival Barnum and
Bailey's best.
Last Monday's meeting was the
proverbial straw that broke the cam-
el's back. Never in recent memory
had the council's show of political
savior faire plummet to such a low,
and not since April's election have
council members provided the com-
munity with a keener example of
their inability to override their po-
litical loathing for each other in the
name of sound government. and keep
their overt political campaigning out
of council chambers.
MONDAY'S FEUDING BEGAN when
council failed to second a reso-
lution by councilwoman Kathy Koz-
achenko (HRP-Second Ward) which
would have directed the city attor-
ney's office to put into ordinance
form the rent control charter amend-
ment which was defeated by the
electorate last April. When a second
was not given, Wheeler attempted to
move on to the next agenda item,
but Kozachenko's emotional and
wildly childish outburst prevented
such a move.
Kozachenko, blaring over Wheel-
er's voice, launched into an attack
'against council Democrats' stand on
rent control, calling them "liars,"
and blasting them for their lack of
initiative on the rent control issue.
When advised that, according to
council rules, the absence of a sec-
ond for her motion pre-empted her
right to speak to the issue until the
conclusion of the agenda items, Koz-
achenko said, "I don't care, I'm
speaking right now . . I never said
I'd play by the rules."
This highly unprofessional con-
duct, reminiscent of SGC tactics, re-
flects the slow but frightening
death of productive political action
in this city. Even more alarming is
the unwillingness on the part of the
HRP and the Democrats to band to-
gether in a quest towards progres-
sive legislation, which they could
easily produce with their majority on
council. Obsessed with partisan
backbiting, city politicians have for-
gotten their real purpose as public
servants.
By PAUL O'DONNELL
"IT WAS THE best year of my
life," said one student. An-
other called it "a lot of fun, but
a waste of time scholastically."
Some even went so far as to
call it "nothing more than or-
ganized babysitting." Perhaps
the most common comment
was, however, a post-facto
analysis of the experience:
"Though I didn't realize it at
the time, I learned more dur-
ing the year I spent abroad than
in any other academic year. I
wish I'd taken better avan-
tage of it."
The U-M's study abroad
programs, and foreign studies
in general, have their share of
critics and defenders, as do all
programs which aren't part of
the "three Rs." But in these
times of tight money and bud-
get cutbacks, foreign study
programs are among those that
manyauniversities consider
eliminating. During more than
three years of foreign studies,
travel, and work, I was able
to talk to administrators, teach-
ers, and students involved with
such programs about the merits
and shortcomings of foreign
study. And while the American
students often had an unkind
word or two about the way
things ran in the host country,
administrators, teachers and
landlords on the foreign side
were not always impressed with
the courtesy, diplomacy, and
discretion of the visiting Amer-
ican students.
ASIDE FROM THE academ-
ic aspects, living abroad for an
extended period of time can in
itself be an experiment in adap-
tation and understanding. One
official of the Experiment in
International Living, a non-pro-
fit organization which has been
sponsoring student exchanges
for over forty years, once de-
scribed three stages of adapta-
tion to a foreign situation. The
first was euphoria: the excite-
ment of arriving in those pic-
ture - post card places that
you'd only read about in books
... which gives way sooner or,
later to "trauma," the second
stage. Trauma, the much cited
"culture - shock," that affects
most of us at one point or an-
other in our lives abroad, is de-
scribed by one anthropologist
in this way: "The genesis of
the malady is really quite sim-
ple. It is precipitated by the
anxiety that results from los-
ing all your familiar cues ..."
These familiar cues are often
the most trivial aspects of day-
to-day life: different ways of
dressing, speech patterns, tip-
ping procedures, and which-
hand - you - hold - your - fork-
with type situations can all be-
come blown out of proportion.
Especially to those who fear
looking ridiculous. One woman,
who described herself as well
"'Americans seem to
want to take America
-the language, dress,
music, food and life-
style - with t h e m
wherever they go.'
One professional man
says simply, 'Why do
they come here? That
is my question'."
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adapted to the host country in
most ways, and who spoke the
language fluently, told me she
could never get used to French
toilets.
THE THIRD STAGE of adap-
tation was called "simbiosis,"
a hypothetical relationship of
mutual benefit to both the visi-
tor and the people of the host
country. The, experiment's for-
mula is perhaps oversimplified,
but the euphoria - trauma -
simbiosis analysis has proven
to be valid in many instances.
Personally, I feel as if I've lived
through periods of each, and
could almost say there have
been days when I've gone
through all three stages.
Other than the student who
enrolls overseas, and the cul-
tural exchange participant, the
most common kind of student
traveler must be the backpack
carrying, sleeping - under -
bridges, Europe - on - five - dol-
lars - a - day, youth hostel
staying kind. These types can
be found at Chez Julien in
Paris, at Casa Jose -in Barce-
lona ,at the Prado (with their
back packs on!!) in Madrid, at,
the Sistine Chapel in Rome ...
anywhere from Amsterdam to
Morocco ,and sometimes in
more places than one might
wish. If some of them seem
more interested in intoxicants
than educational exchange, and
others more anxious to be
away from their parents than
to make foreign friends, most
of the ones I met while travel-
ing, working in hotels, and
studying seemed open to mak-
ing friends and willing to ac-
cept a new way of doing things.
Obviously, the back - pack, rail
pass, youth hotel life style,
while it provides great mobili-
ty, can only provide a super-
ficial overview of how people
live. But for every ten "Let's-
Go-Europe" types who are try-
ing to see "as much as possi-
ble," and skip from the Forum
to the Acropolis to the Eiffel
Towers to the Leaning Tower,
then back to Luxembourg for
that flight home, there are at
lease a few PhD writers, Span-
ish guitar enthusiasts, experts
in medieval pottery, or Viet
Nam exiles who will "never go
back to live." One shouldn't be
fooled: the former are just more
visible than the latter.
WHILE MANY A student
goes abroad after a year or so
of often unhappy education, and
many have read just enough Il-
lich to wish to avoid anything
that has a vague odor of aca-
demic method, others find that
settling down somewhere, and
not necessarily in Paris, Rome,
or Madrid, and studying is
more worthwhile than just see-
ing the sights. Perhaps the eas-
iest way to study abroad is to
enroll in a language and cul-
ture type institute or program
in towns like Perugia, Italy;
Coimbra, Portugal; or Sala-
manca, Spain. These programs
provide enough stimulus for the
diligent student suffering from
Protestant - ethic guilt, but
enough spare time to allow reg-
ular trips to neighboring beach-
es or ski slopes. They usually
require no diplomas or docu-
ments ,and are suitable for the
student who hasn't quite learn-
ed all his irregular past par-
ticples.
In Barcelona, Spain, where I
spent a year studying with such
a program ,there were numer-
ous advantages to being a for-
eign student. While Spanish stu-
dents, feeling the effects of min-
isterial reshuffling, political tur-
moil, and police intervention,
had less than a half year of
classes, the foreign students in
the same building had regular
and prompt classes. While the
year I spent in Barcelona Uni-
versity ,was particularly turbu-
lent, the possibility of the uni-
versities being closed by the
"forces of order" is a possibili-
ty that anyone wishing to enroll
as a regular student in Spain
should consider.
"The culture shock
which affects most of
us while abroad is trig-
gered by different
ways of dressing,
speech patterns, tip-
ping procedures and
which - hand - do - you -
hold the fork with type
situations."
tF O R E I G N STUDENTS
HAVE the major disadvantage
that they are not studying di-
rectly with native students in
these programs. The innitiative
must be taken to go out and
meet people from the country,
and the large number of Ameri-
cans in these programs often
is conducive to staying within
your own socio - cultural group.
This isolation creates the in-
evitable comments about the
people of the host country: the
French as "nasty," the Spanish,
"lazy, lecherous, disorganized,"
and the Italians "crooks." It is
interesting to turn the mirror
around and hear what the peo-
ple of the host country have to
say about us. Aside from the
standard cliches about Ameri-
cans being especially material-
istic, many peoples are shock-
ed by American loudness and
indiscretion. One Chinese stu-
dent described himself as
"amazed at the kind of ques-
tions (Westerners) dare to ask
us about our family and per-
sonal life."
PERHAPS THE DOM-
INANT criticism, and one
which much evidence would
tend to support, is that Ameri-
cans, by the very force of their
economic buying power, are so
numerous abroad that a ten-
dency exists to stick together
rather than try to go' out and
make friends. "Americans
seem to want to take America
- the language, dress, music,
food, and life style - -with
them wherever they go." An-
other professional man, who has
taught American students in
Aix for a few years says sim-
ply, "Why do they come here?
That's my question . . ." Basic
ally, laziness, fear of being
rejected, or culture shock are
all causes for lack of real con-
tacts in many cases. And lack
of real contact is what causes
the "Burmese are lazy, Arabs
are dirty, Americans are all
rich" cliches to be so wide-
spread. There are only individ-
ual solutions: I am reminded
of the American student from
New York who went to Spain
for a year "to learn the lan-
guage." When he returned
home he still could make a sim-
ple Spanish sentence in the
present tense.
THE IDEAL WAYto
make the most of a year
abroad is to enroll directly in a
European, Asian, or African
University . . . but the compli-
cations involved can only make
one hesitate. Dealing with a
bureaucracy, whether it be an
Ann Arbor's computerized one
or a European handwritten
one, is often unpleasant, but
this unpleasant aspect can only
be compounded by foreign lan-
guages, credit transfers, and
documents which are locked in
a drawer at home while you're
abroad.
The effort involved in becom-
ing, for example, a student in a
French University can be
enough to make a normal
American without masochistic
tendencies to wish his home uni-
versity offered a, viable alter-
native.
And the U-M study abroad
programs offer such alteria-
tives.
Paul O'Donnell is .an LSA
senior.
P rivilege has its abuses
RANK HAS ITS privileges. That's
the rule that really runs the
Army, Congress, and multinational
corporations. And so it seems with
the University's libraries.
Professors enjoy the privilege of
withdrawing books from the libraries
and can keep them well past the due
date without fear of fine or other
retribution.
Not surprisingly at
professors have taken
that regulation. One
for example, has more
overdue books - one
has had since 1969.
least a few
advantage of
English prof,
than 40 long
of which he
Library officials lamely explain
away this practice, noting "The fac-
ulty are (sic) very privileged class in
all colleges . . . they are scholars."
That may be true. But the students
are also scholars and deserve the
right of full access to the libraries'
resources. In fact, the students may
even be able to lay greater claim to
those nuggets of knowledge than can
the faculty members - we're buying
them with our tuition dollars.
TODAY'S STAFF
News: Glen Allerhand, Jim Garfinkle,
Steve Hersh, George Lobsenz, Ken
Parsigian, Cheryl Pilate, Sara Rimer,
Stephen Selbst
Editorial Page: Cary Gold, Paul Has-
kins, Ann Marie Lipinski, Tom
Stevens
Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens
RIGHT NOW, STUDENTS must pay
a 25 cent per day fine for over-
due books, which doesn't seem the
least bit unreasonable. The purpose
of a library after all is to circulate
books to people who for one reason
or another don't want to buy them.
And when anyone - prof, student,
or ubiquitous book napper - hordes
volumes he or she is denying other
the right to read them. That is a
right upon which academic freedom
is in large part based - the right to
pursue knowledge where ever it may
be found.
Professors have, however, made a
consistant practice of infringing on
that right by keeping library books
for inexcusably long periods of time.
A survey conducted by the libraries'
circulation departments last summer
found that faculty members had
some 3,500 overdue books in their
possession.
That's just plain unfair.
The solution, of course, is easy
enough. Make the professors subject
to the same penalties and fines as the
students. If the teachers are unwill-
ing to bring back books on time,
charge them a quarter a day and
make sure they pay up.
IT NFORTUNATELY, it is hard to
find a penalty as stringent as the
potent "hold credit" option that is
regularly applied to recalictrant stu-
dents. Maybe the librarians could
report professors with overdue books
to the financial office and have their
pay checks withheld.
By JONATHAN PANSIUS
A DORM BEGINS a policy of
padlocking its courtyard
gates at night. Within days, the
padlocks are stolen. Though
hardly typical, the incident
was one of a long list of recent
crimes committed in University
residence halls. Thefts, van-
dalism, and armed robberies
have been a particularly nag-
ging problem for housing direc-
tors, security and police offic-
ials, and students in the past
few years. Although many peo-
ple underestimate its signifi-
cance, campus crime has af-
fected hundreds in the Univer-
sity community.
But just how big is the prob-
lem? Last May, there were
23 criminal incidents reported;
39 were reported in April, and
42 in March.
David Foulke of Housing Se-
curity, who provided the pre-
ceeding figures, claims, how-
ever, that the crime rate in
University housing for the first
few weeks of this term is rela-
tively low. Exceptionally for-
tunate, he adds, since early
fall is usually a boom period
for campus rip-off artists.
Dorm crime bothers security,
police, and housing officials,
though they feel they can con-
trol it. Their concern, however,
is not shared by those many
student who dismiss security
precautions as an nuisance.
Most residents consider the rip-
off phenomenon an unpleasant
fact of life and merely seek to
protect themselves. For them
the problem is unfortunate but
not personally threatening.
It is usually these types who
leave their rooms unlocked or
admit total strangers and end
up regretting it later.
"My door was not locked,"
related one sorry victim, "and
anybody travellingvthrough the
hallway could have noticed it,
even dorm employes."
David Foulke described an-
other common scenario. A
stranger asks to use the phone,
enters the room, and puts his
coat over whatever he wants to
lift. After dialing a wrong num-
ber or something similar, he
politely thanks his victim,
picks up his coat and the object
underneath it, and leaves.
Vandalism, another big prob-
lem, is rarely reported to secur-
ity; most residents just look
the other way.
Other crimes get more public-
ity. About four years ago, an
unprecedented outbreak of arm-
ed robberies alarmed Univer-
sity security personnel. Since
then, about two dozen cases
have been reported. They usual-
ly result from residents unwit-
tingly admitting strangers to
their rooms.
Unquestionably in recent
years, armed robberies and
large-volume drug dealing have
gone hand in hand. One resi-
dent comments, added, "If
someone is dealing in dope,
they're taking a hell of a risk."
Adding to security woes, bur-
glaries resulting from unlocked
accessible windows are stand-
ard features of most ripoff re-
portoire. Other sensational but
infrequent crimes include as-
saults and crimes against wo-
men (rapes, peeping-tom inci-
dents, etc.).
For the most part, according
to Mr. Foulke and others, the
victimizers of University resi-
dents come from outside the
housing system, and most of
these are local juveniles or oth-
er visitors in the dorms. This
does not preclude crime by
pros or those inside the resi-
dence halls (residents and em-
ployes).
Satisfaction with University
security varies. Although they
get along well with security
personnel, some students com-
plain about lack of visible se-
curity, poor guard patrols, and
strangers in the dorms.
Captain Klinge of the Ann Ar-
bor Police Department brushes
off the malcontents, claiming
that the University is doing
about all it can within its finan-
cial limits.
The security people them-
selves defend their own per-
formance, but feel that the ov-
Crime hardest on those who ignore it
Daily Photo by SCOTT ECCKER
"Habits like locking doors and accessible windows, avoiding
conspicuous drug dealing, and securing bikes properly go a
long way toward fighting criwse in the dorms."
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CIA predicts rain in Russia
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By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON UPI - Here, minus the salu-
tation and signoff, is a letter I received from a
Mr. Stanley Vestspot of Puma City, Wyo.;
"In a recent column you took note of the
fact that the CIA and the weather bureau, two
agencies that specialize in collecting and analyz-
ing data, were being criticized for poor judg-
ments.
"You suggested that if they were to switch
jobs the change might do them both good. In
theory, it sounds good. Can you give me a better
idea of how it might work out in practice?"
Glad to, Mr. Vestspot.
The 11 o'clock news. Willard Isobaree, Chan-
nel 69's popular weathercaster, on camera be-
fore a large map of the Soviet Union .
"Good evening. Here is the latest intelligence
forecast for the USSR and vicinity."
He takes a wax pencil and draws a line from
Leningrad to Sevastopol.
"The latest satellite pictures show an inter-
contineital ballistic missile front extending in a
southerly direction from a point just east of the
angel stands at 14 and falling. The high speed
anti-radar missile count at Vyshny Volochek re-
mains steady at 40."
He draws a circle around Moscow.
"For the next 24 to 48 hours we expect a slight
counter-clockwise movement around detente with
a stationary ridge along the strategic arms limi-
tation treaty."
Meanwhile, the bulldog edition of the Butter-
milk Falls, Wis., Excelsior hits the streets with
an exclusive story from its Washington corres-
pondent, Rimbeau Hookersmith.
"WASHINGTON - THE Central Intelligence
Agency has uncovered evidence that a low
pressure area is forminng in the Gulf of Mexico
some 60 miles south of New Orleans, reliable
sources disclosed today.
"According to information leaked to this cor-
resnondent, CIA obtained a tell-tale set of baro-
meter readings by breaking into the California
off; of a nationally known meteorologist.
"The readings were said to match long-range
rAtirrunn a tired from the Farmer's Almanac
erall system needs improve-
ment. They point to delayed re-
action times to crime reports
and fragmentation of effort be-
tween too many security units
as impediments to effective
crime prevention.
WHAT MORE CAN the Uni-
versity do? Some students have
suggested more guard patrols,
guarding exits at night, and
barring accessible windows.
Controlling the flow of people
into the dorms concerns them
most. The University could ap-
propriate more money for such
programs but they are not like-
ly to because of scarcity of
funds. After all, the costs may
outweigh the benefits, and most
students would resent turning
their dorms into virtual forts.
What the University can do,
and has been doing, is to edu-
cate the residents in basic pre-
cautions. This places the pri-
mary responsibility for security
with the student. Increased
awareness of the problem has
been partially accountable for
the recent downturn in resi-
dence hall crime. For exam-
ple, common counteractions
such as traveling in pairs have
almost eliminated the elevator
crime in South Quad that pre-
vailed a few years ago.
As one put it, "if students
gave more consideration to tak-
ing necessary precautions to
protect property, then the prob-
lem wouldn't be as great."
HABITS LIKE LOCK-
ING doors and accessible win-
dows, avoiding conspicuous drug
dealing, and securing bicycles
(frame and all) properly go a
long way towards- combatting
thefts, robberies, and burglar-
ies. Residents who make anti-
crime efforts cooperative, or in
the words of one South Quad
resident advisor, "look out for
each other", get hit less often.
And if all else fails, Security
is ready at 763-1131 to handle
reported crimes or suspicious
activity.
Housing Division's booklet
"Don't be a Crime Statistic",
which was distributed to resi-
dents at the beginning of the
term, describes these and other
precautions well, and copies
may still be available at 1500
Student Activities - Building.
Staff members and the Manag-
er of Housing Security (764-
6185) are other good sources
of information, and can also
handle complaints and sugges-
tions.
Tonathan Pansius is an LSA
unior.
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Contact your
reps-
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), 253 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washintnn. TC 20515.
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