The Michigan Daily-Friday, August 3, 1979-Page 3
Education Department: Boon or blunder?
By PATRICIA HAGEN
President Carter's proposed Department of
Education has drawn much national comment and
criticism. Michigan congressional members contacted
reacted favorably to the plan while some University of-
ficials offered reservations about the proposed 13th
executive department.
Reflecting common criticism of the plan, two
University officials said the proposed U.S. agency
could lead to more federal control of education and
more administrative costs.
A joint House-Senate conference committee began
considering legislation this week authorizing the
creation of the thirteenth executive department.
While David Heebink, assistant to the University
president, adn University Prof. Wilbur Cohen, who
served as secretary of the Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare (HEW), in 1968, say they are
uncertain of the merits of another department, Rep.
Carl Pursell (D-Ann Arbor), and Sen. Carl Levin (D-
Mich.), are strongly in favor of establishing the
cabinet-level unit.
A separate department would "probably not im-
mediately" effect the University in terms of programs,
funding, or financial aid, according to Heebink.
Heebink said Interim University President Allan
Smith and most administrators are not in favor of
transferring the Office of Education out of HEW.
"We're pretty dubious about it, but we could live with
it," Heebink said.
"It could result in more centralization of government
influence over education," Heebink added. He said
educational institutions function best with as little
federal control as possible.
After the August congressional recess, members of
the joint committee will attempt to strike a com-
promise between different bills passed earlier this
year by the Senate and the House. Neither supporters
nor opponents predict easy passage of revised
legislation because of controversial amendments
tacked on the House version.
If the measure is eventually passed by both houses,
the new department would include all programs
currently in the Office of Education in HEW, Plus some
education programs now in other federal departments.
Cohen said the proposed department "won't help the
University of Michigan one iota."
A separate department, the former HEW head ex-
plained, will not be able to do any more than the
current Office of Education even with a Cabinet
secretary representing it. He called the legislation a
"completely political move" by President Carter to
win the votes of National Education Association mem-
bers.
"The whole argument about the separate depar-
tment (being cheaper and more influential to the
president) . . . is completely erroneous," Cohen said.
The new department, he emphasized, "will cost more,
See 'U', Page 14
Gas stations slowly
adjusting p
From the Associated Press
Some service station operators
apparently are dawdling in rolling back
gasoline prices to bring their profit
margins in line with the new federal
ceiling, but others who are below the
limit are quickly raising prices.
And an Associated Press spot check
of stations around the nation found few
operators wanting to take advantage of
another new federal rule allowing them
to charge for wiping windows or
checking under the hood.
ANOTHER POTENTIAL extra
charge, for credit card sales, was
struck down yesterday by the Federal
TradetCommissionn(FTC) in
cooperation with the Energy Depar-
tment, which issued the rules. The FTC
said the credit card charge would
violate the federal Truth in Lending
Act.
The new regulations went into effect
Wednesday, but many dealers said they
weren't aware of them.
"If I didn't have friends in the
business or pay attention to the
newspapers, I wouldn't know
anything," said Lee Hammon, an
Exxon dealer in Raleigh, N.C.
UNDER THE NEW profit margin
rule, dealers can charge no more than
15.4 cents per gallon above the
wholesale price of gasoline, before
ump prices
taxes are added. Previously, they were
restricted to the same profit margin
they had six years ago, plus a few costs
for inflation.
Dealers interviewed who were
charging more than the legal limit in-
See SERVICE, Page5
Area gas
dealers
hike prices
By TIM YAGLE
Several area gas station owners said
yesterday the recent federally-imposed
profit ceiling hasn't prompted them to
raise prices, but rather the higher cost
of wholesale gas has pushed retail
prices above the dollar per gallon
mark.
The new profit ceiling allows gas
station owners to raise prices a flat 15.4
cents per gallon above wholesale costs
and state and federal taxes. Retail gas
prices at the stations surveyed rose
between three and seven cents per
See AREA, Page5
Sheepish grin Daily Photo By JIM KRUZ
The smile on this sheep' face seems to indicate it's enjoying the tender
loving care rendered by it's owner, Kirk Van Natter, at the 4-H exhibition
in Saline.
today -
Good intentions ,
"Grandma Marijuana" is the name, and selling
pot the game. Lois Faulkner, a 68-year-old resident
of Simi Valley, California, pleaded no contest
Tuesday to charges of selling and possession of pot.
Faulkner's attorney said he hoped the judge would
not send Grandma Marijuana to jail because she's
too frail to survive the trauma. Police explained
that Faulkner had been giving and selling
marijuana to children for years, although she had
been warned of impending arrest. Faulkner claims
marijuana tea alleviated her arthritis pain, and
said she gave pot to the kids to relieve their
depression, which she blamed on "noise pollution."
Faulkner's brother, Joseph, 63, and Richard Lan-
dreth, 23, also entered no contest pleas to the same
charges. While some- elderly ladies hand out
cookies, we bet the kids preferred visits to Grandma
Marijuana's house. The better to see you with ..,
Jackson to speak
at commencement
Rev. Jesse Jackson, who jeft South Africa
Wednesday after raising the ire of leaders of the
racially segregated country with anti-apartheid
remarks, will speak at the University's summer
commencement Aug. 19. Jackson also will receive
an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from
the University. Virginia Jones, dean of the School of
Library Service at Atlanta University and
recognized as a leader in the library science field,
will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.
Graduation ceremonies for close to 2,000 University
students will begin at 1:40-p.m. Aug. 19 at Hill
Auditorium.
Another pretty face
Two interesting classified ads appeared in the
Help Wanted column of the Daily yesterday. One of
the city 's Fourth Avenue district landmarks placed
two items searching for models. One ad offered up
to $8 an 'our if the applicant telephoned, and the
other offered $12 an hour if the applicant showed up
in person. Inquiries to the business revealed that the
higher paying job involved video cassettes. Early
last month the name ar the establishment apparen-
tly was left out of an ad, and several irate
professional models complained to the Daily's ad-
vertising staff. It seems clarity means everything in
classifieds.
Happenings...
... the International Center is having a picnic
at Silver Lake at 3 p.m. Meet in the International
Center Lounge at 2:50 p.m. with a dish for a potluck
supper... Intrada, a chamber quartet, will perform
in Liberty Plaza at 7 p.m.... Summer Repertory
Theatre presents "Wedding Band" at 8 p.m. in the
Power Center ... Martha Burns will be at the Ark at
9 p.m.... "The Son of Getron" will be presented at
St. Thomas Church, at State St. and Kingsley St., at
9p.m. as part of the Ann Arbor Medival Festival ..
. FILMS: Ann Arbor Public Library-Funny Face,
2 p.m., 7:30 p.m., library Meeting Room . . .
U.S.-China People's Friendship Association-The
Red Detachment of Women, 8 p.m., Kuenzel Room,
Michigan Union . . . Ann Arbor Film Co-
op-Richard Pryor, Filmed Live in Concert, 7 p.m.,
8:40 p.m., 10:20 p.m., Aud. 3, MLB. . .Cinema II-
A Man for All Seasons, 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Aud. A,
Angell Hall... Cinema Guild-The Sound of Music,
7:30 p.m., Old A and A Aud.
On the outside
The sun will shine today, pushing the ol' tem-
perature up to around 85°. The low will hover
around 60*.