Pane4-Saurda. Jne 30, 1979-The Michiqann Daily
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Strike effects
ALTHOUGH THE impact on
Ann Arbor of the indepen-
dent truckers' strike and the one
threatened by city workers is not
yet apparent, the resulting in-
conveniences may soon be com-
monplace.
The third week of the truckers'
strike has had slight effects on
area supermarket supplies, but
smaller grocery stores have
reported produce and meat shor-
tages. Some markets said they
noticed consumers stocking up
early for the July 4 holiday, but
no panic-buying has been observed
yet. Food sellers say they expect
supplies to be depleted substan-
tially by next week if truckers do
not return to work.
UNLIKE THE northeast, fuel
[E WEEK IN REVIEW
I
is still relatively abundant in this
area, although prices continue to
rise steadily. Severe gasoline
shortages have been avoided in
Michigan, in part because Gov.
William Milliken last week
provided fual haulers with police
escorts.
While area residents await the
effects of an extended truckers'
strike, they can ponder potential
losses of general city services
should the city's main union walk
out when their contract expires
tonight at midnight. Members of
Local 369 of the American
Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees (AFSC-
ME) voted overwhelmingly
Wednesday night to strike if the
city did not acquiesce to demands
including a 25 per cent wage in-
crease in a one-year contract.
Negotiations continued, but have
so far failed to settle wide dif-
ferences between AFSCME's
demands and the city's offer of a
five per cent annual incease over
the next three years.
The strike would halt refuse
collection, according to city of-
ficials, but essential services
such as sewage and water treat-
ment would by sustained by non-
union employees.
Residents might look forward
to labor shortages in areas such
as parking meter enforcement,
which Streets, Traffic, and
Parking Department head John
Robbins would suffer if workers
strike.
Ann Arbor police and fire
fighters' contracts also end
today, but due to binding ar-
bitration, no danger of losing
those protection services exist.
Affirmative action
THE UNIVERSITY'S com-
mitment to increasing its
minority population to reflect the
population's composition is still
being questioned by some
University officials involved with
recruitment and support of
minority students. Although the
University promised nearly a
decade ago to provide funds
necessary to achieve a ten per
cent black enrollment by 1973, it
is now slightly over six per cent.
Clifford Sjrogren, director of
undergraduate admissions said
recruiting efforts have increased,
since the Supreme Court ruled
last June that Allan Baake, a
white student, was a victim of
reverse discrimination through
the quota policy of a California
medical school. But minority
programs have been pinched by
budget cuts, according to Sharrie
King, a student trying to organize
a black student's movement.
OTHER INDIVIDUALS in-
volved with minority recruiting
have charged that the University
exerts only token efforts in that
area, and is quick to withdraw
financial support when budget
constraints set in. .
Despite some officials' claims
that recruiting efforts are being
bolstered, the minority attrition
rate far exceeds that of white
students. Reasons for attrition
are generally diverse , in-
dividual, and difficult to assess,
recruiters'claim.
Over the last year Each One,
Reach One, a program in which
minority students at the Univer-
sity recommend other minority
students for recruitment, was in-
stituted. Its returns are yet
unknown.
TH E UNIVERSITY'S affir-
MiY1chigan Daily
Eighty-nine Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
Vol. LXXXIX, No. 37-S News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students
at the University of Michigan
U.S. must rescue
the boat people
H AD THE U.S. never intervened in Southeast Asia,
the communist governments that now reign in
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam would probably have
come to power years earlier than they actually did.
During the fifties, President Eisenhower candidly
admitted that Ho Chi Minh, then the head of Viet-
nam's communist party, would have won if the U.S.
had permitted a free election to be held.
Despite the fact that the end results seem to be
the same, the three little nations are actually in an en-
tirely different situation than they would have been
with the same leaders years ago. Years of violent U.S.
intervention in Southeast Asia's affairs left Cam-
bodia, Laos and Vietnam very different places in-
deed. They were ravaged. Huge tracts of formerly
lush farmland were rendered sterile to bombs and
toxic herbicides. Peasants' homes, as well as
hospitals, schools, and other public buildings were
eviscerated by bombs dropped from American
planes. In short, America is greatly culpable for the
dire economic straits that Vietnam and its neighbors
find themselves in today.
One symptom of the three countries' stricken
condition is the vast number of refugees whose plight
has of late been attracting international attention. We
strongly feel that the United States' instrumental role
in creating the current situation obligates it to do ab-
solutely everything it can to save the lives of the hun-
dreds of thousands of "boat people."
In a move that was seen as an attempt to
stimulate other nations to absorb more refugees, as
well as meeting a need in and of itself. President Car-
ter announced Thursday that the U.S. will double its
monthly admissions of Indochinese, from 7000 to
14,000. Unfortunately, the current figure has not been
taken very seriously thus far. America has absorbed
only 13,000 refugees over the last three months, less
than two thirds of the number publicized as the
allowable maximum. We hope that the new, higher
figure will be heeded scrupulously.
Philanthropic organizations in the U.S. have been
making preparations for placement of the "boat
people.'"Michigan groups alone have slated 64 Asian
families for housing in the state. But before the
refugees can capitalize on American citizens'
generosity, Congress must stop dragging its collec-
tive heels in appropriating funds vital to effect
relocation.
Short of permanent settlement, the U.S. has other
options for helping the refugees. It can accept on a
temporary basis more than the monthly 14,000, until
other countries can absorb them. Any domestic
provisions for them, no matter how crowded, would
be better than the lethal squalor in Malaysian camps.
Death is an almost certain fate of all unclaimed
refugees. Food, medical supplies, and personnel
should be rushed to Asians in camps, especially to
those still sea-borne. Finally, we should hurry to con-
vene an international conference on refugees, with
representatives from third world countries as well as
from the superpowers. Concentrated world efforts to
solve this crisis can benefit the boat people best.
Editorials which appear without a byline
represent a concensus opinion of the Daily's
editorial board. All other editorials, as well as car-
toons, are the opinions of the individuals who
submit them.
mative action efforts are not
legally defined, since such laws
apply only to private em-
ployment. Therefore, it must only
show the federal government it
does not discriminate. Interim
University President Allan Smith
pointed out that declininy
minority enrollment is part of a
nation wide trend. Although
some advocates of greater efforts
in this area claim this is just an
excuse, there is ncsiegal reason
for the University to undertake
more concerted efforts to reverse
that national tendency.
The U.S. Supreme Court
meanwhile defined further
private employers' affirmative
action rights, rejecting the
argument of a white worker,
Brian Weber, that he was a vic-
tim of reverse discrimination
The ruling essentially sanctions
voluntary efforts to rectify racial
imbalance by private employers.
And yesterday, an affirmative
action conference was held on
campus. The private sec-
tor-particularly the Weber
case-dominated discussions, but
efforts by educators were also
covered.
'U' hospital plans
REGIONAL HEALTH plan-
ning council members,
dissatisfied with the failure of
state-level planners to return the
revised proposal for a new
University Hospital to them for
another review, voted Wed-
nesday to sue the State Depar-
tment of Public Health. And the
council hopes to haveGovernor
William Milliken and Health,
Education, and Welfare
Secretary Joseph Califano inter-
vene on its behalf in the planning
process.
President of the Comprehen-
sive Health Planning Council for
Southeastern Michigan (CHPC),
Della Goodwin, said yesterday
the council will hold off on filing
suit until the Department of
Public Health decides whether to
approve the $244 million project
to replace the University's Old
Main Hospital. But council mem-
ber Mel Ravitz claimed Thursday
the council would move into
litigation before the public health
department's Aug. 8 deadline.
perhaps indicating disagreement
between council members.
THE UNIVERSITY has been
criticized for politicking and for
demanding more beds than the
-CHPC feels are necessary. The
CPHC claims southeastern
Michigan is overbedded, but
hospital planners say the U'
Hospital serves many people
from Washtenaw County and
western Michigan. They already
haveagreed to cut the number o
beds from 923 to 900, saving a
total of $3 million.
Federal officials say they doubt
Califano will intervene until after
the Department of Public Health
makes its decision, and it is ex-
tremely unlikely that Millike
will step into the controversy.
The CHPC maintains that the
changes made in the hospital
plan at the state level are sub-
stantial enough to require
another review of the proposal.
Week-in-review was wrilen by
Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Slowik and
Editoria Direor jdyRakWky.
SUMMER EDITORIAL STAFF
ELIZABETH SLOWIK
Editor-in-Chief
JUDY RAKOWSKY ...
JOSHUA PECK ........
. Editorial Director
.........Arts Editor
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