i
E1je 3fd1gan Daitj
Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Thursday, October 30, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
t.. +e ' 1L &1 %L -
Why
By KATHRYN ADISMAN
W HEN I FIRST learned about
the Alice Doesn't strike from
a news release distributed by
the local NOW at Betty Frie-
dan's press conference last
month, I was impressed. I was
immediately sympathetic to the
idea of a strike as a symbolic
gesture of self-affirmation and
protest.
Two weeks later, I began to
realize that virtually no one on
campus was aware of this
strike. So I decided to xerox a
few copies of the press release,
give them to women in my of-
fice, and test the reaction. Some
felt that a strike was a nega-
tive way of expressing the worth
of women, but could not produce
positive alternatives. Others
questioned what good it would
do or what have we got to com-
plain about. Most who objected
to a strike bn the grounds that
it was negative felt that they
could justify a day off if there
were follow through activities
to attend. People failed to un-
derstand the concept of strike
as a purely symbolic act. As
two students were overheard
saying to each other, what are
we supposed to do - stay in
bed all day?
Perhaps the most trenchant
criticism I heard could be put
into one simple question: what
do you want? Generally the
purpose of a strike is to achieve
specific economic goals. What
did NOW hope to achieve? At-
tention?
Suddenly I began to wonder
why I was publicizing this
strike, why I was trying to sat-
isfy the sceptics, and not NOW.
On October 15 our office re-
ceived one of those press re-
leases in the mail and Kathy
Fojtik, president of local NOW,
was interviewed on WUOM.
Was this it? The extent of local
NOW's advocacy? And what
about the University: I believed
that women at the University
initially intimidated by a strike
would let themselves be guided
by the Women's Commission. If
the Commission supports the
strike, I thought, its chances of
success throughout the Univer-
STRIKE ANALYSIS
Alice doesn't work
sity are great. But why hadn't
the Commission issued a state-
ment, or planned activities?
The strike was only two weeks
away. In search of answers to
these persistent questions, I be-
gan to make phone calls to
NOW, the Commission, IWY,
and other Women's organiza-
tions at the University. With the
exception of NOW, I chose to
restrict my inquiry to the Uni-
versity and the female estab-
lishments in it because this is
the heart of our community and
these groups are the most obvi-
ous bastions of women's power.
One call led to another and here
is what I learned.
ACCORDING to Kathy Fojtik,
in April 1975 the San Jose chap-
ter of NOW called a day of
strike, the idea met national
approval, and the date was set
for October 29. The purpose of
the strike, Fojtik said, was con-
scioisness-raising both of the es-
tablishment and of the partici-
pants. When asked why local
NOW was not organizing follow-
through activities during the
day, she pointed out that a
strike was a terminal action,
the only action called for by
NOW, and that, therefore, they
were not cooperating with
groups like the Women's Stud-
ies Program who were organiz-
ing events locally. Asked wheth-
er she had sought support of
women's groups on campus, she
said she did not. I gathered that
it was only because the Michi-
gan chapter of NOW had voted
to favor the strike that local
NOW felt bound to extend os-
tensible support. The extent of
Foitik's actual participation in
strike organization and activity
appeared to be limited to an-
nouncement of the event. She
claimed that local NOW has
neither the time nor the woman-
power to do more.
At this point, the crucial ques-
tion loomed: why bother to ad-
vocate a strike which does not
generate strong local support?
Her inevitable response was that
it is better to have even a half-
assed event than to do nothing
at all. Fojtik called me naive
for suggesting that women need
leadership. But I wondered if a
strike of just a few would be
a strike at all. She did not be-
gin to explain why she expects
commitment from individual
women when the leaders of
NOW apparently can't afford it.
Finally, conceding the probabili-
ty of failure this year, she ar-
gued that this was only a be-
ginning: the momentum would
build and next year or the year
after a strike would be success-
ful. She counters the view that
women who strike are only hurt-
ing themselves by advising strik-
ers to take a sick day: your
boss will know the real reason
for your absence but he won't
be able to dock your pay or
fire you. When asked, if this
didn't defeat the principle of
a strike (how can you have a
strike and not tell anyone?), she
referred to the precedent of Un-
ion blue flu days. The analogy
is flawed: the NOW strike does
not have popular support where-
as the blue flu day can succeed
only with such support.
FOJTIK URGED ME to find
out what the Women's Studies
Program was doing on October
29. The most startling thing I
learned about this Program was
that the organizers did not actu-
ally support the strike. One of
the organizers, Anne Locksley,
considered the strike ridiculous
since many women cannot af-
ford to break their Union con-
tracts. Apparently she was not
aware of Fojtik's strategy to
avoid repercussions. I asked
WSP organizers, Locksley and
Norma Ware, if any activities
were planned at the University
for the 29th. I learned that there
would be various things going
on at community centers during
the day and a party at the Uni-
tarian Church in the evening.
They had considered the pos-
sibility of a rally on the Diag,
but eventually rejected it be-
cause their primary audience
was women in the community,
not on campus. I was told, furth-
ermore, that a rally was politi-
Kathy Fojtik
Fojtik said that since the
strike was a terminal action,
NOW was not cooperating with
groups like the Women's Stu-
dies Program who were organ-
izing events locally.
cal. that the Diag or Regents'
Plaza was not a convenient
meeting grolnd for the women
they had in mind, and again
that there was not enough time
or peonle to oroani7e both kinds
of activities. When I wondered
what I coild do as an employee
of the University, Locksley re-
nlied that if I wanted to organ-
ize a rally on camnus she would
sunnort me, bvt that the Wom-
en's St'idies Program would not
initiate s'ich action.
Somewhat disanpointed by this
'commnimtv' bias. I deceded to
turn at last to campus women's
organizations. The University
IWY was taking no official
stance pro or con the strike, but
did sunoort activities organized
by the Women's Studies Pro-
gram. Lila Green, program co-
ordinator, said that she would
have supnorted the strike if she
had heard about it in time, but
that she had received no infor-
mation whatsoever from NOW.
Jean Cobb, Chairnerson 'of IWY
Policy - making Committee, felt
that a one-day strike was mean-
ingless and contrary to the self-
interest of women. Were a strike
to be carried on for a week,
even a month, she might sup-
port it. In general, however, she
felt that women should put their
energy into more positive acti-
ties such as the "Re-designing
Sex Roles in Education" confer-
here
ence scheduled for mid-Novem-
ber.
AFTER THIS I CALLED the
Women's Commission and spoke
with Barbara Murphy, Assistant
Chairperson. She stated that it
was against the law for public
employees to strike. Although
personally, she agreed with the
principles underlying a strike
she did not advocate one. As
for the attitude of the Commis-
sion, she assured me that there
would be a statement in The
Daily at least a week before
the strike.
When I called back the next
week, I spoke to Murphy and
to Chairperson Eunice Burns
and learned that the Commis-
sion had decided at their meet-
ing on Thursday, October 23 to
do nothing. The reasons given
were familiar: it was too late
to do anything; women are paid
least anyway. Burns would
not say whether a strike would
have been approved if it had
been brought up at an earlier
meeting. It was not mentioned
earlier, she said, because it was
considered a low priority item.
I asked if the Commission in-
tended to make public its rea-
sons for not supporting the
strike. Burns replied that a pub-
lic statement would only pro-
voke controversy.
On this note ended my tele-
phone inquiry and my hope for
a successful strike. If there is
one thing that all the women I
talked to agree on it is that a
strike by itself is not a positive
or meaningful act.
Perhaps local NOW should
have tested the climate of feel-
ing in Ann Arbor before lend-
ing automatic support to a na-
tional strike. University wom-
en's groups certainly could have
played a stronger part in or-
ganizing activities that would
legitimize a strike for many
women and highlight this day
at the University. More ques-
tions were raised than were an-
swered. As an advocacy organi-
zation, does not the Women's
Commission owe a responsibili-
ty to women in theUniversity
community to define its posi-
tion? Is the function of IWY
merely to sponsor conferences
and lectures? What is the good
of a solo strike in an atmo-
sphere of confusion and indif-
ference? I decided to strike
banks and supermarkets and to
work on October 29.
Kathryn Adisman is a Uni-
versity clerical and a member of
the Her-Self staff.
Freon: Later is too late
HE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE is
hearing testimony today on the
freon-ozone issue. Freon is the sub-
stance which has been unanimously
condemned by the scientific com-
munity 'as a detrimental force on
the earth's protective ozone layer.
Without ozone, the. earth is sub-
ject to stronger concentrations of ul-
traviolet radiation than it receives
presently. Ultraviolet radiation is
dangerous to humans in that it can
cause skin cancer; it is dangerous to
the food chain from bottom to top
in that it kills algae which are un-
able to protect themselves from large
doses of such radiation.
Freon, a substance used as the pro-
pellent in such aerosol products as
deodorants and hairspray, has been
found in independent studies by
scientists across the country to be
capable of disintegrating the ozone
layer. Freon is used in these pro-
ducts because it is an effective means
of propelling the spray out of the
can. However, freons eleven and
twelve, the offending parties, are not
the only kinds of chlorofluorocar-
bons which are available to manufac-
turers of deodorants and hairsprays.
There are other freons which do not
appear to be dangerous to the ozone
layer and which could be utilized in
aerosol cans.
IN FACT, ACCORDNG to Ralph Ci-
cerone, University professor, the
only advantage freons eleven and
twelve have over other possible pro-
pellants is their non-flammability.
It is today possible to spray one's Ar-
rid Extra-Dry and light a cigarette
simultaneously without exploding.
For this luxury, we are submitting
TODAY'S STAFF
News: Glen Allerhand, David Gar-
finkle, Sara Rimer,, Tim Schick,
Jeff Sorensen, Bill Turque
Editorial Page: Paul Haskins, Debra
Hurwitz, Tom Stevens
Arts Page: Chris Kochmanski
Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens
ourselves and other forms of life to
a potentially deadly risk.
We will not know for certain whe-
ther freon can destroy enough ozone
to be directly dangerous for approx-
imately five years. It will take five
years or thereabouts for the freon
now released into the atmosphere to
reach the ozone layer, so there is a
gap in our knowledge which prevents
it from being entirely certain at this
point.
Nevertheless the scientific com.-
munity, despite numerous attempts,
has been unable to come up with any
data which would tend to dispute the
present opinion: that is, that freons
now in use present a significant dan-
ger of increased ultraviolet radiation
levels due to destruction of the ozone
layer.
EREONS ARE ALSO used as refrig-
eration agents in many kinds of
large machinery. Such use is also, po-
tentially dangerous and many re-
search teams are working on ways to
modify refrigeration units so they
can be run without freons. This pro-
cess, however, will take some time
to accomplish. In the meantime, we
can buy a little extra time by eradi-
cating aerosol use of freons immedi-
ately.
There is no reason for us to con-
tinue to pollute our atmosphere and
create for ourselves a potentially fa-
tal situation simply because we want
to be able to spray and smoke at the
same time - without running the
risk of spontaneous combustion.
Many states are in the process of
considering legislation which would
ensure that aerosol manufacturers
find substitutes for the freons they
now use. Oregon has actually passed
such a bill into law.
Michigan will soon have its chance
to pass a bill banning such freon use.
We wholeheartedly support such leg-
islation and hope that the testimony
the Michigan legislature hears today
leads them to make a decision in its
favor.
I
Letters to The Daily
Alliceis to tacitly deny the reality
of a constant level of coercion
To The Daily: keeping women in their place,
FROM THE ORGANIZING and to make a mockery of both
committee of the October 29th the role womens' work plays in
Womens' Celebration, endorsed the economy and the serious na-
by feminists from the Gradu- ture of the oppression they un-
ate Employees' Organization dergo. Most critically, without
(GEO): , collective organization, women
We denounce the National Or- who act according to the dic-
ganization of Women for its be- tates of their conscience and
havior -concerning the October withhold their labor are unnec-
29th national womens' strike, essarily jeopardized for the
specifically for: benefit of NOW's media farce.
1) NOW called for a national 2) NOW's vision of a national
strke of women on Oct. 29 but womens' work stoppage is
refused to commit itself to or- equivalent to a consumer indus-
ganizing. A strike is the su- try created vision of a national
preme expression of womens' mothers' day. Womens' work is
capacity to engage in collective not amusing.
action and of their fundamental 3) NOW did not consult any
right to withhold labor in the other womens' organizations in
struggle to achieve control over deciding to call for a strike, and
the conditions of their work. To thereby presumed to speak for
call for a strike without com- the entire womens' movement,
mitting oneself to organization of which they represent only the
reformist segment.
4) At the local level, NOW
refused to sponsor or contribute
to the womens' celebration, a
viable alternative developed by
an ad hoc and totally penniless
group of community women.
THE ACTIONS CITED above
are reflective of the general po-
litical perspective of the Nation-
al Organization of Women. We
denounce that organization as
elitist, seriously irresponsible,
presumptious, publicity-monger-
ing, opportunists, adventurists,
and anti-working class. We ad-
vocate that all other sectors in
the womens' movement join us
in denouncing NOW and exclud-
ing them from womens' collec-
tive action for feminist social
change.
The Oct. 28th Organizing Com.
Feminist members of GEO
October 29
LEANINGS
Old remedies won't
cure class sickness
HEALTH SERVICE HANDBOOK
Slow hours best for visit
By SYLVIA HACKER
and NANCY GARWOOD
Question: I came to Health
Service at 4:30 on Wednesday
and the doctor was in an awful
rush. Why can'twthey take time
to talk to a patient instead of
treating you like a piece of
meat?
Answer: We talked to a num-
ber of physicians about this
question and believe it or not,
it aroused a great deal of dis-
cussion because most of them
really want to take more time
with a patient. They asked us
to emphasize thatrcertain times
during the day are not highly
conducive to unhurried interac-
tion. One is just before the lunch
hour when physicians, students
and many other living creatures
are hungry and in need of in-
gesting some tasty nutrients.
Another bad time is late after-
noon before the 5 p.m. closing
time. At this time, two condi-
tions are operating: the lab is
closing and so if a test needs
to begdone there is a pressure
to get up there on time; the
physicians who, as we have al-
ready revealed in a previous col-
umn, are human, want to go
home to their families. So if
you're feeling crummy, which
is a time when TLC is especial-
ly needed, it's a good idea to
optimize your chances of getting
it by coming in around early
morning or early afternoon.
We're not promising you a rose
garden (to re-coin a phrase)rbut
the probabilities for getting
more attention are better then
that a second tampon is inserted
without removing the first one
and the first one is therefore
forced high into the vagina. It
can actually be forgotten for
awhile but not for long because
a foul odor will soon develop,
sometimes accompanied by a
discharge. If you, or a very
close friend can't remove it, a
physician can do so very quick-
ly and without serious discom-
fort.
Question: I have recently
been sexually active with sev-
eral different partners. I'm feel-
ing great but considering all
I've read about gonorrhea being
asymptomatic in the female, do
you recommend that I come in
for a test?
Answer: Yes, indeed. Having
a culture done for gonorrhea
can either reassure you that
all's well or if an infection is
brewing, it can be quickly and
successfully treated before any
inflammation spreads
Question: In your October 17th
column you spoke of high blood
pressure as a risk factor lead-
ing to the development of heart
disease. Please elaborate.
Answer: As you have already
observed, one of our greatest
strengths is elaborating, so here
goes:
Blood pressure refers to the
pressure at which the heart
pumps blood through the body,
and is usually represented by
2 numbers (e.g., 120/80). The
first number is the systolic blood
pressure, produced when the
heart contracts to pump the
and young adults). When this
happens, the heart has to work
much harder to pump blood and
as a result may become enlarg-
ed. Also, hypertension many in-
crease atherosclerosis (harden-
ing of the arteries) by pushing
blood fats into the artery walls.
Several factors may increase an
individual's susceptibility to de-
veloping hypertension. If some-
one in your family has had this
condition, your chances of de-
veloping it are increased. Age
and race are also important as
it is more prevalent in black
people and persons over the
age of 35. It is important to
note that although some persons
with high blood pressure may
have symptoms that include
headaches upon waking in the
morning, nosebleeds, and feel-
ings of tiredness, dizziness, and
shortness of breath, hyperten-
sion may be far advanced with-
out causing any of these symp-
toms. Thus, to be on the safe
side, you should have your blood
pressure checked yearly, especi-
ally as hypertension can be con-
trolled, if detected, through
medication and diet (the latter
usually including moderate re-
striction of sodium and reduc-
tion of overweight). As noted in
our earlier column, untreated
hypertension may increase your
chances of developing heart at-
tacks and stroke.
REMINDER: Tonight iskthe
big kickoff for kicking the smok-
ing habit. Come to Health Ser-
vice, Room 5 in the basement
at 7:30 p.m. and find out wheth-
er you want to join onr 4-week
By ROBERT MILLER
T1HE FISCAL CRISIS in New
York is merely symptomatic of
the human crisis visable in all
American cities. As the quality
of life, wages and working con-
ditions deteriorate, corporate
profits increase. Banks, through
their practice of "red lining"
take money from the inner city
and invest elsewhere.
Banks have not only milked
NYC, but the entire nation. Mu-
nicipal and state governments
across the country will pay an
extra $3 billion this year to bor-
row money at interest rates-in-
flated 2-3 per cent. The cost of
utilities and services like water
and sewage disposal will be fur-
ther increased.
Default is only one element
of an imbalanced economy
which redistributes resources in
favor of banks and corporations.
This will continue whether or
not the city defaults.
WAGE FREEZES AND lay-
offs in the public sector will
act asan invitation for corpora-
tions to pay their blue collar
and service employees a lower
wage and relieve the pressure
to increase benefits. A default
would reduce social services as
well as accelerate the trend to-
ward concentration and mer--
gers. If the money market tight-
ens up small businesses and
banks will find it harder to bor-
row and consolidations will oc-
cur.
The English journalist Ham-
ish McRue comments percep-
tively: "While we inkBritain
tend to see New York's diffi-
culties as a crisis of the Ameri-
can free enterprise system - as
private wealth and public squa-
lor, and something that is hap-
pening elsewhere in ' America
but on a less dramatic scale
in the U. S. it is taken as
the folly of high public spend-
ing, whichsboth encourages
waste and saps initiative."
IN AMERICA A FEW social-
istic notions lie within a capi-
tlist framework. While the
ity or labor leader on the Big
MAC, the corporation composed
of businessmen and financiers
which in effect runs New York.
Democracy in this country is
being undermined by the "cor-
porate foot" which prevents U.
S. cities from curing their ills.
If a state or city decides demo-
cratically to increase corporate
or personal taxes, factories and
rich individuals can cross a
nearby border. The mere threat
to move by corporations has de-
stroyed long-term planning or-
iented toward human needs.
Rapid transit in Detroit has
been thwarted by this threat.
In New York the number of
working people has decreased
by over * 500,000 over the last
six years. The light manufactur-
ing industries have fled to es-
cape the well organized and
militant textile unions.
THE ONLY WAY workers can
maintain a decent wage is to
extend their organizing nation-
ally and even internationally
when possible. Bureaucrats like
Meany who sell out to business
must be pushed aside.
There is a political vacuum
developing in this country
which "Potato - head" politi-
cians like Hubert Humphrey
cannot fill. Those Democrats
which claim to represent blue
collar workers and people of
the inner city do not have the
power to practice what they
preach. The banks have them
by the balls, leaving them little
room to maneuver.
New York has shown that in-
dependent unions are the only
ones which can protect their
members and further, that the
natural allies of workers are
other workers, not Democratic
politicians. It may not be a co-
incidence that those services
which Ford wants to assist -
police, fire and sanitation have
been the most militant when
threatened with layoffs.
New York has already seen
strikes by teachers, and sani-
tation workers, demonstrations
by unemployed and those op-
posed to day-care shut-downs
nna vpnmar4e* byh senior
The Teach-In mini-course will proceed as scheduled despite the failure
of the LS&A Executive and Curriculum Committees to grant course credit for
the educational alternative. Mini-course lectures will be presented by faculty
members Henryk Skolimowski, Frithjof Bergmann, and Thomas Weiskopf.
William Rosenberg will be supervising mini-course activities and conducting
workshops, along with the other members, throughout.
The mini-course should prove to be an invaluable
ence for those interested in the teach-in and larger
course -of contemporary American society.
supplemental experi-
issues affecting' the
First Lecture:j
By Professor Henryk Skolimowski
October 30, Thursday, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
170 Physics and Astronomy Building
Second Lecture: