sfte £k41§an Daft!
Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Detente
key to
Wednesday, October 22, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Court ruling out of bounds
THE HIGHEST COURT in the land,
has stripped one of the most de-
fenseless segments of American so-
ciety, its children, of their freedom
from physical abuse.
Monday, the Supreme Court, with-
out comment, upheld a North Caro-
lina judiciate's ruling allowing cor-
poral punishment in public schools.
The advocates of the 'spare the
rod, spoil the child' philosophy tend
to neglect a more profound question:
the right of an individual to control
the condition of his or her own
body.
The court went beyond mere ap-
proval of conditional physical pun-
ishment to allow it even without the
consent of the parents.
Spanking is a time-honored and
standard parental sanction over chil-
dren. But for the state to supersede
the wishes of parents in its approval
or disapproval of punishment is
frightening.
MANY PEOPLE oppose corporal
punishment and question it's va-
lidity. There's no assurance that a
teacher's dragging a child out of
class to spank will necessarily im-
prove his or her behavior. In fact,
such action may threaten to serious-
ly, if not permanently alienate the
child from the educational process.
The court, with Monday's decision,
grossly failed in its responsibility to
uphold the constitution. We can't
justify the bodily punishment of a
child when the child's parent's
themselves oppose such action.
Within the context of primary edu-
cation, no one has the right to take
sterner disciplinary measures against
a child than the parents deem prop-
er, and the court was mistaken in
thinking otherwise.
By PETER HOLDEN
DETENTE WITH THE Soviet
Union is certain to be one
of the key divisive issues slash-
ing through both major parties
in the 1976 elections. Reagan
conservatives are hitting out at
what they consider the Kissinger
soft I on - Russia policy, while
among Democrats both Wallace-
ites and organized labor are tak-
ing increasingly pro - military
spending and anti-Soviet stands.
Detente, still a vague term
that Washington refuses to de-
fine, meant three things to
Nixondand Kissinger in 1972.
*Long-range trading and in-
vestment agreements between
the U.S. and U.S.S.R. For ex-
ample, the projected long-term
exchange of U.S. grain for So-
viet oil, and investment deals
like that announced by Armand
Hammer in 1972 to get $8 bil-
lion in liquefied natural gas
from the Soviets.
" Achievement of arms limita-
tion accords, beginning with a
virtual ban on A B M s under
SALT I and leading eventu-
ally to a freeze on strategic
offensive weapons. (The pur-
pose of all SALT agreements
was to leave both superpowers
with an invulnerable strategic
missile force - creating a bal-
ance of terror that would de-
ter both from all-out missile at-
tack.)
* Gradual development of po-
litical cooperation to settle con-
flicts in sensitive parts of the
world, notably in the Mid East.
BUT THE HOPES of 1972 for
progress in all three areas have
dimmed.
While U.S.-Soviet trade has
climbed, there is little indica-
tion as yet that the huge busi-
ness deals envisioned in 1972
will materialize. Plans of Ameri-
can and Japanese corporations
to invest in resource-rich Siberia
have foundered.
The chief beneficiary so far
on balance of trade has been
the U.S. Because of repeated
shortfalls, the Soviets have be-
come a major purchaser of
U.S. grain.
But opponents of the grain
deals-including organized labor
and many consumer groups -
claim the Soviet purchases are
inflationary andbenefit only the
U.S.S.R.
Prospects seem even dimmer
in the area of arms control. De-
spite Kissinger's intimations of
progress on SALT II talks, re-
sistance has risen in both the
U.S. and U.S.S.R. to further lim-
itations on strategic arms.
THERE ARE ALARMING in-
dications that both sides are de-
liberately "destabilizing" the
arms balance. The Soviets have
been upgrading the stri
power of their missiles, w
the U.S. has gone to a
"counterforce" strategy -
siles targeted against en
missiles rather than ci
While apparently more hum
this strategy seems to prey
the development of a first-st
capability. While the Pente
denies it is seeking such a c
bility, simply the suspicion
one undermines the arms
trol basis for detente.
If either the Soviet or
strategic deterrent grows
nerable, then detente will a
matically go out the window
Portents are equally bad
the area of political coopera
Soviet attitudes toward the
and second Mid East ag
ments signal thedownm
trend in political cooperatio
In 1974, though playing
role in Kissinger's shuttle
lomacy, the Soviets welco
the first Mid East agreem
and said little about Sa
ouster of their advisors f
Egypt. It was generally belie
the Soviets gave Nixon t
tacit cooperation on the
East in return for a det
they continue to praise.
BUT THE SOVIETS have
tacked the latest Sinai ag
ments and accused the 1
276 electio n
lltri r~r1Vr:::4^t .:: V".f"P1^:P:r:"8 ^':.Ata:" .%"1':Si:v .*:a:{::?'"5: " .... .......r... ..}'.r".a'"X*".
vhile
new
mis- "In 1974, the Soviets
iemy
ties. welcomed the first Mid
ane, East agreements and
sage.
rike said little about Sadat' sk
agon ouster of their advis-
apa- .
of ors from Egypt. .
con- But the Soviets have
U.S. attacked the latest Si-
vul- flai agreements and ac-
auto- cused the U.S., Egypt
V.
d in and Israel of trying to
tion.
first split the Arab world
;ree- and betray the Pales-
tard n s
13:
no
dip-
med
ents
dat's
from
eved
their
Mid
ente
at-
;ree-
U.S.,
..%" , ::a.;,' S. ;" 3 ' ': '5 ? :': : r: :::r .:+ ? ; ar ,
;.;{t^" ::{"'};i.::":":.............n ..:;."Q~.y v:.vi .r":. ." .r..........v"..?.v .:.S .i}:«~L.
Egypt and Israel of having but
one aim: to split the Arab world
and betray the Palestinians.
The Ford Administration is
officially committed to detente.
But Ford, facing a tough battle
for nomination and election,
may ask the Soviets for tangible
concessions to counter accusa-
tions of appeasement from the
right wing. The suspicious So-
viets, who have now postponed
Brezhnev's planned visit here
three times, are not about to
make such concessions. And the
result can only mean more set-
backs for detente.
Peter Holden is
News Service editor.
1975, Pacific News
a Pacific
Copliright
Service.
I
Bail out New York City
NUMBER OF very valid and
thought - provoking arguments
have come down on either side of
the New York City debacle.
In the wake of Mayor Abe Beame's
throwing up his hands, dolefully lift-
ing his eyes to a higher power, and
conceding the matter to be out of his
control, the federal government is
left with the nasty task of either in-
Dating the Fun City balloon to the
tune of $6 billion dollars or watching
it shrivel and - shrink into a state of
default.
No single explanation of default's
effects on an urban economic entity
the size of New York City has yet
been presented to the satisfaction of
the general public.
Tiere is, however, an emerging
consensus that the desirability of
such a fate falls somewhere on the
low half of the nuclear holocaust--
subwar-series continuum.
While others wallow in and stam-
mer over the still confused implica-
tions of default ,the more vocal of
our nation's opinion leaders have
looked right past such details and
seized on the nut of the matter-"are
we with 'em or agin' 'em?"
NEW YORK'S THE PLACE that
brought us urban blight, know-
nothin' immigrants, know-it-all high-
brows, the welfare state, and zip-
guns, say the folks. If you want to
dance, you got to pay the fiddler.
They shouldn't come running to us
TODAY'S STAFF:
News Staff: David Garfinkel, Charlotte
Heeg, Stephen Hersh, Lois Josimo-
vich~ Jo Marcotty, Cheryl Pilate,
Bill Turque
Editorial Page: Paul Haskins, Tom
Kettler, Linda Kloote, Jon Pansius
Arts Page: Jeff Sorensen
Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens
to clean up their mess.
Maybe so, the slickers retort, but
certainly some American locale had
to take on the title of the world's
most magnificent metropolis, and as
everybody knows, greatness demands
sacrifice.
As the one speck of vintage on an
otherwise Johnny - come - lately con-
tinent, New York is the nation's shin-
ing light that not only basks in its
own glory but allows the Peorias and
Pittsburghs to bask in it as well.
To allow the evil specter of default
to descend on New York is to cast a
shadow over the entire nation, the
fast-talkers conclude.
Both of these fantasies and their
many variations go right to the gut
and make fascinating reading. But
neither has a place in a reasoned di-
agnosis of the State of the Apple.
OF ALL THE nation's cities, New
York has been either the most
negligent or the most myopic in re-
cognizing a bottom to its coffers.
It's well within the bounds of fair-
ness to suggest that the Apple's at-
tendants are feeling the pinch now
because they spent too freely and
needlessly in the past.
That may be so but it doesn't
change the fact that the city is now
on its last leg and quite probably in-
capable of righting itself without
federal aid. Congressional types who
spitefully growl, "sink or swim," to
the pleading Beame had better rea-
lize that when the Apple topples it
will probably bring the rest of the
show down with it. What a fitting
Bicentennial tribute! The United
States of America. Founded 1776:
Bankrupt: 1976.
THE PEOPLE ON the Hill would do
well to stop howling and playing
up to the folks back home and to
start coming with some cash. This
country's got too much tied up in
New York City to let it take a dive
now.
Soc
LAST WINTER THE Gradu-
ate Employee's Organization
(GEO) of the University of
Michigan staged a strike
against the University admin-
istration. At the end of that
strike the University and the
GEO signed a contract that ap-
peared to be a major improve-
ment in working conditions for
the graduate employees and a
step toward a higher quality ed-
ucation for the undergraduates.
However, throughout the dura-
tion of the strike, which at its
end had entered its fourth cold
week ,there was a small core of
undergraduates known as the
Student Support Committee for
GEO. This group, though vitally
interested in the fate of the
GEO and firmly committed to
its goals, was able to keep a
very important perspective
throughoutrits involvement
with the strike. Whenever even
the slightest victory or defeat
was experienced by the GEO,
we would ask ourselves one
question: How does this relate
to the undergrad heregat the
IUniversity of Michigan? It
took a relatively short time for
us to reach a very imortant
conclusion. The University of
Michigan is a multi-million dol-
lar corporation which is admin-
istered under a grosslv disor-
dered system of priorities. In
short, the University of Michi-
gan doesn't give a damn about
the quality of undergraduate
life and education.
UPON THIS REVELATION,
the Student Sunport Committee
vowed to stick together after
the strike. The result of this
vow was the formation of the
Student Organizing Committee
(SOC). We defined ourselves as
an action-oriented group estab-
lished to mobilize large nrn-
hers of students against the in-
creasing cost and decreasing
quality of education at the Uni-
versity of Michigan. We are
dedicated to initiating actions
against racism and sexism at
the University, and to working
with other groups involved in
similar efforts.
Since the formation of SOC
eight of its members have run
for and been elected to Student
Government Council (SGC.)
From this position we have
gained an office, a sizeable SGC
budget, accessibility to some
high university officials, and an
even more acute awareness of
the University's misplaced pri-
orities. The recent tuition in-
creases (which amount to near-
lv thirty percent over the past
few years), the threat of still
another increase for this coming
winter term, the cutbacks in
the university housing services.
the university's lack of good
faith efforts for affirmative ac-
tion, cutbacks in undergradi-
ate educational denartments.
the increase in class sizes, and
the refusal of the high admin-
istration (Frank Rhodes. Vice-
President for Academic Affairs)
to grant mini-course credit to
the Ann Arbor Teach-in, to
name just a few, leave no dobt
in our minds that strong initia-
tives are needed now to bat-
tle such injustices.
WE FEEL THAT the Student
Organizing Committee, along
with SGC, is an excellent place
to start such initiatives. Al-
Letters
Third World Coordinating Coun-
cil (TWCC), a new organiza-
tion of Native - American, As-
ian - American, Chicano, and
Black students and advisors
which is working to fight dis-
criminatory practices against
minorities at the University of
Michigan. We have also made
moves to abolish the current
SGC in favor of a more repre-
sentative student government,
the Michigan Student Assem-
bly. The MSA will include rep-
resentatives from all U of M
school governments in addition
to seats elected at large by the
student body.
THE STUDENT ORGANIZ-
ING Committee is looking for
individuals concerned with the
quality of life and education
here at the University of Michi-
gan. We need individuals will-
ing to give even the smallest
commitment of time to these
concerns. This Wednesday, Oc-
tober 22, at 9:00 p.m., SOC
will be holding an organization-
al meeting in the South Lounge
of East Quad. We invite and
encourage anyone interested to
come with questions and issues
they feel pertinent to the Michi-
gan student.
Jeff Lark
Member, SOC
Oct. 22
dystrophy
ON OCTOBER 15TH, LS&A
Student Government Council
(LS&A-SG) defeated my mo-
tionto contribute $75 on behalf
of the LS&A student body to
the Muscular Dystrophy Associ-
ation (MDA). College campuses
around the country raised $230,-
000 recently for the MDA and I
felt that the University of Mich-
igan should give something,
too. All the money goes to-
ward fighting this terrible dis-
ease which makes children's
muscles atrophy, degenerate,
and break. I believe fighting
muscular dystrophy is a wor-
thy cause that deserved fund-
ing but Council felt otherwise.
Every LS&A student must
pay one dollar every year to
the LS&A-SG. This means
Council has a budget of over
$11,000 per year, and it plans
to give about $5,000 in dona-
tions to, all sorts of organiza-
tions. In other words, less than
0.7 of one cent from each stu-
dent's dollar would have gone
to the MDA. Some LS&A-SG
members felt that the $75 ap-
propriation would be too much
of a strain on the budget. As
far as I am concerned, we
could have managed. A $75 con-
tribution to the MDA has noth-
ing to do with the size of Coun-
cil's budget, but with the size
of each member's heart.
THE REJECTION OF my
motion was purely an inhumane
gesture. I do not say that most
of Council's money should go
towards charity, but I feel
some money should. Some mem-
bers were paranoid that other
charities would request our
help .(and why not?), but we
know from past experience that
this has been very rare. In any
case, most of these same mem-
bers are against Council giving
any money to charity. Besides,
allocations have to be made
somewhat on a first come first
sv asis and muscuar dv-
dent government involvement.
The Council members even re-
jected an amendment to my
motion to give only $25 to the
MDA because they felt it was
too much money. A "liberal-to-
radical" party called PESC,
which has a majority on LS&A-
SG, unanimously voted against
giving $75 (or even $25) to the
MDA, and this sunk the alloca-
tion. Why are these people so
much against helping some kids
with a crippling disease? And
why did they refuse to have a
roll call vote - which takes two
minutes - so that they could
be recorded voting "no" on
helping fight muscular dystro-
phy? Perhaps I should have
even more criticism for Stu-
dent Government C o u n c 1
(SGC), which would not even
consider my motion at all for
aiding the MDA because of its
own crazy regulations - amaz-
ing.
I CIRCULATED A petition
for a few hours on October 16
and October 17, which requested
LS&A-SG to contribute $500 to
the MDA - and I received 330
signatures of LS&A students.
This means that LS&A-SG must
either approve the allocation or
put the motion on the ballot in
the next LS&A-SG election for
the students to vote on. Since
Council is against giving any
money for charity, I am trying
to make sure that $500 of our
$11,100 will be spent under this
category. The students who
signed the petition (and only
about six refused to do so) did
not seem so overwhelmed by
what LS&A-SG has done with
the students' money that they
would mind if less than Se of
each student's mandatory $1 as-
,sessment be given to the MDA
and insure that at least this
money was spent by Council
on a worthy cause. Spend a
minute and call LS&A-SG
President Amy Berlin at our
office (763-4799) and ask her
why she and so many others on
Council opposed even giving $25
to fight muscular dystrophy.
David Faye
LS&A-SG
Oct. 20
gutless
To The Daily:
THREE WEEKS PRIOR to
last fall's student government
elections, the person who was
supposed to be working on the
election left to Australia. I took
on the responsibility of handling
a 10-week job in three ,weeks.
As a result, I had to accept
many suggestions from mem-
bers of council as fact. One such
suggestion was to use a "perma-
nent marker" to prevent double
voting. During the election the
marker was found to be erasi-
ble, a fact which led the Michi-
gan Daily to report that S. G. C.
did not have an ounce of credi-
bility. The evening before the
last day of the elections, a per-
son claiming to be myself
phoned Daily reporter Tim
Schick to report that the elec-
tion was cancelled. Without
bothering to call me to see if
in fact I had called, Schick
printed the story. A slight
stretch of my imagination leads
me to believe I could call the
Daily to report that the sky
was falling and they would not
look out the window before
printing the story.
and I'm afraid of gett
bad publicity."
TODAY I AM filing
the Student Governme
cil, section 8A,26. (Di
tion). I doubt the D
publish this letter, for t
never given me a fa
in the past. However,
cure that I have wri
copied this letter in
two witiiesses: As a fi
I hope the students at
versity realize that th
newspaper is out to
throat of the student
ment, a fact fully re
council members and
sociates. The next time
a Daily article condem
dent Government Cour
it with a very few
salt. If it seems unb
'it probably is.
Alan Bercovitz
October 21
ing more
suit with
nt Coun-
scrimina-
aily will
they have
air shake
I feel se-
itten and
front of
inal note,
this uni-
e student
cut the
govern-
school concerts have I ever
heard such musical trash as was
performed last Thursday night
by the Wind Ensemble. If that
concert was any indication, Ann
Arbor certainly isn't hard up for
entertainment, or even for mu-
sic critics, but for good musi-
cians.
Claudia Evans
October 14
musiciis
To The Daily:
to
The
Daily
To The Daily:
I WAS UTTERLY
at Ann McCutchan's let
was in today's- Daily.
that her emotions have
den her ability to. bec
What kind of musician
of you who can't toler
cism - well-deservedc
Professionals have toc
it for a lifetime, and i
ly sounds like the mus
is going to have a v
life if the musicians
realistic enough to a
criticisms with the com
Face it, you're not a:
ing to be loved; critici
another fact of life.
I feel very sorry for
sician who becomess
over .a review. Fromc
I've heard around the
seems that the music
that Mr. Selbst should
the intolerability of th
due to the fact that i
conductor's first perfori
the Wind Ensemble's
formance of the yea
account should musice
to be compromised. If
sician needs a compr
justify a performance,
as well just not perform
I won't ever justify
performance of anyt
professional musicianz
YES, MS. McCUTCF
Selbst's review was
slam at the Wind E
and an indirect slam
as one of its membe
lieve, however, that M
was awfully kind in h
Never in my 13 yea
musician, two yearse
fessional musician or f
of attending U-M and
alized by CONrERNING that "proud"
their as- letter from the Radical Vege-
you read tarian League, I must express
ining Stu- my disgust at their mere pro-
ncil, take test of the Maynard Street Mc-
grains of Donald's, not to mention their
elievable, offensive manner in demonstrat-
ing it. 'I think that violating
the rights of others to do and
eat as they please is a far
greater crime than the "cor-
porate rape" they speak of.
choice Corporations, . and specifically
large food companies, would not
be in existence if people did
appalled not support them, that is, buy
ter which their product.
It seems I myself am not big on rot-
e overrid- ten cheeseburgers, but do not
objective, mind the presence of the Gold-
s are any en Arches in town. The building
rate criti- itself is appealing, and if you
criticism? are a vegetarian or don't care
deal with for McDonald's, that is all that
t certain- should concern you.
sic school The new McDonald's is ap-
ery short parently doing well, indicating
can't be that the people in the commu-
ccept the nity like it. What the Radical
apliments. Vegetarian League and others
lways go- seem to be advocating is dic-
sm is just tation of what the people of Ann
Arbor should eat by trying to
r the mu- ban the restaurant from the
so hostile area. Granted, the food there
comments may not be very nutritional, but
school, it not many people only eat Mc-
cians feel Donald's food (that they say
overlook may result in scurvy), and one
e concert can die from just eating let-
t was the tuce. or any one food type for
mance or that matter.
4 5.
C
MPR '(
first per-
r. On no
ever have
f the mu-
romise to
he might
n-period.
a sloppy
:hing; no
will.
HAN, Mr.
a direct
Ensemble,
n at you
rs. I be-
Mr. Selbst
is review.
ars as a
as a pro-
our years
the music
IF THE LEAGUE is con-
cerned with public health, in-
stead of using these disgusting
tactics (which I'm sure they
get a kick out of) to rid Ann
Arbor of the fast food service,
why don't they get it together
and try to inform the public
on the supposedly low nutrition-
al value of the food and let
the' people make their choice?
Shelly Rosen
October 20
Letters should be typed
and limited to 400 words.
The Daily reserves the
right to edit letters for
length and grammar.
ARE NO~WNE~sE?
* DO bI J 4t1IE mGove0Jm w