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Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Midler sidesteps Fourth Estate
Wednesday, February 11, 1976
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Rate hikes: Easy wa out
By JEFFREY SELBST
and MITCH DUNITZ
SCURRYING THROUGH a backstage
door in Detroit's Masonic Temple,
running in darkened passages under-
neath the stage, we pressed on, un-
daunted -our mission to find and speak
to the elusive Bette Midler.
We emerged in a small, dimly-lit hall-
way next to the staircase which led to
the Holy of Holies - the star's dressing
room.
There was a fat, complacent young
security guard on duty; when we flashed
our press passes, he grunted in reply.
Soon other journalists and would-be jour-
records. Ron Counts, Atlantic's Detroit
head of A & R (Artists and Repertoire),
promised to contact one of Miss Midler's
many representatives and ask about the
possibility of granting an interview with
us.
He called later in the day, and the
request was denied.
New York was the next stop. We
called a number with a 212 area code,
and spoke to Atlantic in New York.
From there we were referred to Sol-
ters & Roskin, a publicity agency in
The Big Apple that was arranging Mid-
ler's tour.
Although we were supposed to have
success. (For an account, see Michigan
Daily, Tues., Feb. 3, 1976). After the
show, a plan hatched in our minds. We
would go backstage. Nervously we fin-
gered our programs. Whistling to distract
the guard, we hurried through a door
marked "No Admittance."
* *
* * *
CTUDENTS AND ADMINISTRA-
TORS alike are reeling this
week from announcements that
both tuition and dormitory rates
will rise once again next fall. With
the Regents' approval of an average
8.9 per cent dormn rate increase and
President Robben Fleming's predic-
tion of new tuition hikes, the shadow
of economic constraints upon stu-
dents and staff looms larger than
ever.
Costs are inflating throughout the
University; officials have had to
slash $400,000 from the Housing Of-
fice's General Fund monies; Campus
unions wiU soon make their moves
for higher wages; Governor Milli-
ken has cut the current budget by
another $100,000. It is clear that
some fee increases are needed. Costs
are high and someone must pay.
But why are students being made
the chief bearers of this crushing
burden? The cost of living and
learning in Ann Arbor is discourag-
ing already, and to demand more
from students may place higher edu-
cation at Michigan out of the reach
of those who need it and desire it
most.
OF ALL STATES, Michigan has been
one of those most harassed by
the recession. Its many automobile
workers have felt the crunch keenly,
and sending their children to col-
lege has dropped on their list of bud-
get priorities.
It is not difficult to understand
that this is a course of action which
further discourages victims of the
recession, and, it is upon precisely
such a course of action the Univer-
sity has now embarked. It is true
that taxpayers and students foot all
the University's bills, but that doesn't
mean every new funding need should
be tacked directly on to their taxes
and tuition fees.
It is time for the administration
to tighten its belt even further. Ad-
mitedly, there have been cutbacks
aplenty already, but it is imperative
that budget priorities be redesigned
before students' bills are inflated.
The Rate Study Committee of the
Housing Office, which recommended
the dorm fee hike last week, made
several other recommendations for
saving money, such as consolidating
food service for the Hill dorms. They
deserve careful scrutiny.
ADMINISTRATORS AND depart-
ment officials must seek new
ways to strip excess from programs
and services, whether by cutting in-
effective programs or firing non-es-
sential employes.
This sort of cutting and slashing
is not the ideal way to finance higher
education, but it should come be-
fore towering rates deny. would-be
students any education at all.
Wanda Divine posed first as a reporter
from the Fifth Estate, and, though recant-
ing her affiliation with that paper, defied
guards to throw her out of the building on
the grounds of freedom of the press.
"Oh God," moaned one of the others.
"What a showoff."'
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nalists appeared. Two were from the
Oakland Recorder, another claimed to be
from the Fifth Estate, the underground
weekly.
After much shuffling, we were all
pushed outside into the ten-degree Janu-
ary night, to wait for the appearance
of the Divine Miss M. Outside a collec-
tion of groupies, fans, and members of
the lunatic fringe had assembled, wait-
ing with a tense, shivering camaraderie
for an experience that could last no
more than a moment.
OUR SEARCH had begun some days
earlier. We called the Detroit office of
Midler's recording company, Atlantic
spoken to a Mr. Dennis Fine, we did
not. We were told he was "unavailable,"
so instead we spoke to an aide, who
assured us that all possible methods
would be used to insure "success" in
our mission.
IT WAS FRIDAY, January 30, and
the hours slowly flew.
Some moments before we had to leave
for the concert, we were called by New
York. The aide from Solters & Roskin
was on the line. A crisp voice told us
the bad news instantly. Miss Midler was
"too tired." We knew what that meant.
There would be no interview.
It was an odd assortment of social
misfits, weirdos, and derelicts that sur-
rounded us as we waited outside the
Masonic. While mingling with the crowd,
we encountered some truly pathetic fig-
ures.' Wanda Divine (all names are, of
course, changed) posed first as a re-
porter from the Fifth Estate, and,
though later recanting her affiliation
with the paper, defied guards to throw
her out of the building on the grounds
of freedom of the press.
"Oh God," moaned one of the oth-
ers. "What a showoff."
WINDSOR PHIL, a thin, pencil-mus-
tachioed young homosexual from
across the river, was another regular-
the others referred to his as "Philthy."
He had sent a life-size glossy photo-
graph of someone or other to Miss
Midler as a gift. All night he hound-
ed the guard who occassionally popped
his head out of the door, asking if
Bette had received his offering.
Their plan was evident. They were
trying to throw us off the track by
telling us that Midler had sneaked out
the front door. This, we discovered, was
phony. Our investigation revealed a
long, black Cadillac limousine with a
chauffeur, its motor running. Thus we
waited doggedly, sure that there were
no other exits from which she could
emerge.
The first of her party to leave was
Charlotte Crossley, one of Midler's back-
up vocalists, known as the "Harlettes."
We accosted her as she walked out,
complimenting her on her marvelous
performance onstage. Referring to the
party which took place after the show,
Crossley replied, "Honey, I was even
more -marvelous upstairs!"
Milling about, freezing, we hit upon
an alternative plan. We sent up a note
bearing the name of an influential and
well-known acquaintance, asking admit-
tance, and giving the impression that
we were sent under his auspices. There
was no reply.
PHILTHY, WANDA, and the others
grew increasingly h o s t i l e. One
young couple tried the old "left-the-
handbag-under-the-seat" trick, but to no
avail. At length, deciding to track down
Midler at the hotel where she was stay-
ing, we asked a guard, the one to whom
we'd originally spoken, and he told us,
while assuring us that he shouldn't give
out such information, that she was stay-
ing at the St. Regis.
Bette Midler
A good hour had passed, and gig-
gling camaraderie had turnedrto sullen
snarling. We eyed each other waritly,
and the guards angrily. What were they
trying to pull? Where was she? What
did they think we were going to do
to her?
And then the commotion.
Two of her goons, large, burly mem-
bers of her party, sneaked to the other
side of the limo, and, using the car for
cover, began chucking snowballs at the
assemblage.
THEN MIDLER APPEARED, as the
crowd dispersed in a headlong rush.
Guarded on all sides by eight mem
bers of her party linking arms, she
moved quickly to the limo and into the
back seat. Then, as the melee continued,
snowballs were thrown back by the
groupies, and one, clearly intended for
her, hit the car.
Enraged, she opened the door, jump-
ed out of the car on the same side
as her goons, and joined in the fray.
As she was bending over to pack a
snowball, reporter Dunitz, a late object
of her attack, snuck up behind her,
stuck his hands into the snow, and ap-
plied it to her face, washing it with
the repressed fury of the frustrated fan.
Midler scampered to the car, and the
limo sped off to the hotel.
The chase was over.
PHONE CALLS were made to the
St. Regis every half-hour on succeeding
afternoons, in order to secure a phone
interview. But she would have none of
that.
Apparently, though our sources inform
us that someone was in and available
at the St. Regis sometime during those
days, no one was able to speak with
us on the phone.
At 3:30 p.m., on Monday; Feb. 2,
1976, the Bette Midler caravan left town.
The concert itself
was a resounding
Dorm ler Unfair
b AE LOTTERY' is the popular
name for what Building Direc-
tors and University Housing Office
officials call a 'drawing' for dorm
residents who wish to reapply for
rooms next year.
The dorm lottery is not an instant
game. Participants are given a four
page information booklet, a reappli-
cation card, and the slim hope that
they will be winners. They will re-
turn to a housing situation where
the leases have just been boosted
8.9 per cent.
Spaces must be guaranteed to
freshpeople in the fall. This is rea-
sonable. But the list of categorical
exceptions who will be guaranteed
space in the dorms, even if they lose
in the lottery, is as long as your
arm. This is unreasonable.
The exception for sophomore foot-
ball players is perhaps the most blat-
ant example of categorical exceptions
for special interests. Because of vari-
ous legal or program requirements,
Honors students, Residential College
people, students under 18 and a whole
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dana Baumann, Lois Josimo-
vich, Jay Levin, Tim Schick, S a m
Sills, Bill Turque, Barb Zahs.
Editorial Page: Marc Basson, Michael
Beckman, Steven Hersh, Tom Stev-
ens.
Arts Page: Jeffrey Selbst.
Photo Technician: Scott Ecker
slew of other groups have a second
chance to return to the protective
arms of their dormitories.
A lottery is the best way to force
people out of the dorms, but a lottery
should be fair to all. At least this
year's lottery is earlier and was pro-
ceeded by more advance warning
than last year's surprise drawing.
If lotteries are destined to become
annual affairs, they should be care-
fully planned. Exceptions should be
kept to a minimum.
Better yet, the University should
shoulder the responsibility of provid-
ing all of its students who want dorm
spaces with rooms. Structures should
be built or old buildings should be
converted to house the increasing
number of people who want dorm
living.
Sports Stafff
BRIAN DEMING
Sports Editor
MARCIA MERKER ........Edt Executive Editor
LEBA HERTZ .. Managing Editor
JEFF SCHILLER . . ............ Associate Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Al Hrapsky, Jeff
Liebster, Ray O'Hara, Michael Wilson
NIGHT EDITORS: Rick Bonino, Tom Cameron,
Tom Duranceau, Andy Glazer, Kathy Henne-
ghan, Ed Lange, Rich Lerner, Scott Lewis, Bill
Stieg
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Enid Goldman,
Marcia Katz, John Niemeyer. Dave wihak
DESK ASSISTANTS: Paul Campbell, Marybeth
Dillon, Larry Engle, Aaron Gerstman, Jerome
Gilbert, Andy Lebet, Rick Maddock, Bob Miller,
Joyce Moy, Patrick Rode, Arthur wightman
Stieg
No bloodbath
for Sai gon
By GLENN MacDONALD
MANILA (PNS) - Former Asian employees of the
U.S. in Saigon - terrified they would be the first to fall
in a mass "bloodbath" when they missed the U.S. evacua-
tion - are finding they can live under the new givernment,
according to two Filipinos who left Saigon in December.
Alfredo Leonardo, 40, and Fernando Sallas, 31, returned
to their native Philippines via Bangkok a few weeks ago.
Both had worked for the Americans, and both feared for
their lives when they were left behind.
Sallas, a construction worker whose Vietnam wife
and children had already been evacuated, went to the
U.E. Embassy in Saigon April 30 waving his Philippines
passport and begging to be taken on board a helicopter. A
Marine guard kicked him away, and he watched helplessly
as the final chopper lifted of the roof.
"I thought it was the last day of my life," he said.
HE WENT to the Philippine Embassy, where a small
group of Filipinos, well stocked with arms and ammunition,
waited to see what would happen. "We were prepared to
make a last stand, but everyone was hoping and praying we
wouldn't have to shoot," Sallas said. "Thank God the
Communists didn't harm us. We laid down our arms and
registered with the new authorities," he said.
"The Communists didn't bother us at all," he contin-
ued. "We were free to come and go as long as we stayed
in Saigon..,
Leonardo is still amazed that the "bloodbath" he
had expected didn't occur. "There was no revenge, at least
that I could see," he said. "Vietnamese that had worked
for the Americans were terrified - and bitter at the Amer-
icans for abandoning them to the Communists. But as the
days and weeks went by without any purge, they began
to think they might not be killed after all," Leonardo said.
Several South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) officers Leonardo
knew, however, didn't come back from "re-education cent-
ers" where they were sent.
LEONARDO HIMSELF was arrested on suspicion of work-
ing for the CIA and held for two months. He said he was
never beaten or mistreated, but he was questioned again
and again. "They told me to tell them everything about
myself and finally after many interogations they were con-
vinced I was innocent and let me go," he said.
Vietnamese who worked for the U.S. Embassy or the
military are watched closely. The government suspects some
of them may still work for the CIA.
Contrary to their fears of religious persecution, Catho-
lics still worship in Saigon, says Leonardo. A political cadre
attends the services, however, to monitor what the priests
say.
Both Leonardo and Sallas report prices are high and food
is scarce in Saigon. But they say the Vietnamese don't
blame the new government. "They blame the war and the
fact that so many people are out of work," said Leonardo.
THERE ARE VERY few automobiles on the streets of
Saigon, Leonardo says, because most were shipped to Hanoi.
Just a few old, rickety French taxi cabs - blue and yellow
Renaults - remain. Honda motorbikes have been replaced
by bicycles and pedicabs. The streets are very clean, he
says, and you can breathe fresh air again in the city.
Enroute from Nha Trang to Saigon, the two had passed
Camranh Bay, once a major U.S. Naval base. They said
the bay was full of Soviet ships, which use the port facilities
to dock and refuel. However, the Vietnamese are not invit-
ing the Soviets or any other power to establish bases on
their soil.
However, Saigon may become an open port, says Leon-
ardo. He first heard the idea when Prime Minister Nguyen
Thi Binh proposed it in September, and the local press has
mentioned it from time to time since.
Now back in the Philippines, both Leonardo and Sallas
are trying to start new lives. Salas, who lived 10 years in
HEALTH SERVICE HANDBOOK
*1
On beating the, flu
By SYLVIA HACKER and
NANCY PALCHIK GARWOOD
Question: How do I know when
to come in about a fever and
cough? When is it a bad cold
and when is it the real flu?
Answer: In our January 21st
column we discussed the symp-
toms of real flu but since so
many people are now in the
throes of several varieties of
respiratory distress, it looks like
an appropriate time to review.
Influenza, or the "real" flu,
is a viral respiratory disease.
The symptoms are: abrupt on-
set, headache, c h i IIs, fever,
muscle aching and weakness,
pain in the windpipe and up-
per chest, dry cough, loss of
appetite and, to top it all off,
occasional nausea and vomit-
ing. A patient can expect to
be sick from 3 to 7 days and
may feel under the weather for
2 to 3 weeks or more. We're
sorry to say that there is no
specific treatment for this
charming collection of symp-
toms. Antibiotics are not recom-
mended in the uncomplicated
case since it is a viral disease
and antibiotics work only
against bacterial and certain
other kinds of infection.
What should you do, there-
fore? Our chief of the medical
clinic, Dr. Seifert (with the sup-
port of the other medicine men)
recommends rest, fluids, aspirin
for the aches, observation of
your temperature, and steam in-
halations 4 times daily (a pan
of boiling water with a towel
over your head or a vaporizer
for the affluent). Certain folks,
however, should consult a phy-
sician at the onset of the symp-
toms described: - pregnant
women, those over age 66, and
people with a history of bron-
chitis, asthma, rheumatic fever
and heart murmur. Also, cer-
tain signs will suggest bacterial
complications, and since these
will be responsibe to antibiotics,
one should see a doctors. Such
signs are earache, severe sore
throat (with redness and pus
spots), coughs which produce
green-yellow or brown sputum
(don't swallow it - look first),
pain around the sides of the
chest (especially if connected
with breathing) and possibly
shortness of breath. Really sev-
ere influenza is accompanied by
shortness of breath, fainting and
bloody sputum.
If in doubt about any of this,
of course consult the doctor,
with the expectation, however,
that there may not be much
that will be able to be done. Un-
fortunately, it is too late for
flu shots which should be got-
ten in the Fall.
Question: I am thinking about
getting a diaphragm as a meth-
od of contraception. However, a
friend told me that fresh spermi-
cide must be inserted into the
vagina before each subsequent
act of intercourse. Does this
mean only if it is several hours
later? What if the man enters
the woman immediately follow-
ing ejaculation or shortly there-
after? Could you end up put-
ting in many applications in an.
hour? Wouldn't that get very
messy?
Answer: People (especially
the newly sexually active) do
worry needlessly that they will
swim away in a sea of jelly
if they take literally the advice
that fresh spermicide should be
inserted at each intercourse. It
is good advice but needs to be
seen in perspective. Spermicidal
creams and jellies generally re-
tain their highest efficacy for
two hours. If you have put a
sufficient blob inside the cup
and around the inside of the
rim of the diaphragm to begin
with, then within a two-hour
time span, just relax and have
fun! Beyond that, it is advisable
to insert another applicator full
into the vagina about every
half hour (without removing the
diaphragm). Don't forget that
the diaphragm should be left in
for approximately 8 hours after
last intercourse to insure that
most of the sperm have been
demolished. We're assuming
that you won't be on a mara-
thon (you do have to go to
classes, don't you?) and will
be able to manage the 8 hours
between bouts. If not, yes it
can get messy and you may
want to alternate with other
methods (e.g., the condom).
Send all health related
questions to:
Health Educators,
U-M Health Service
207 Fletcher
Ann Arbor 48109
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Letters to The Daily
. *
- "
CIA
To The Daily:
We find it curious that our
"student newspaper" should so
willingly and forcefully accept
the administration line in re-
gards to the question of CIA/
NSA recruiting on campus. We
refer to the Daily's coverage
of the Regents meeting demon-
made.
In Sunday's article, Mr. Selbst
reported that "the unshakeable
Fleming" granted us a public
forum on the recruiting ques-
tion, "even though they had
been told Monday by Career
Planning and Placement offi-
cials that the federal agencies
don't work through the Univer-
sitv" We find it incoorehen-
as Mr. Selbst puts it. Our goal
was and continues to be the
removal of unethical and mur-
derous individuals and organiza-
tions from the -University com-
munity. Given the fact that we
lack a mouthpiece such as the
University Record in which to
air our views, and that our "stu-
dent newspaper" has been less
than enlightening in its cover-
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