Friday, May 31, 197+ THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Plan F tops board race issues $y JEFF SORENSEN The hottest issue for the 11 candidates seeking three toard of Education seats in next month's election is "Plan F," a controversial busing plan designed to alleviate overcrowding in several public schools. The preposal, whiclr would relocate about 00 elementary and secondary school students, bas run into stiff eppo- sition from liberal and radical commu- oity members who contend the disrup- tien caused by busing the children out- weighs the advantages of relieving c r a w d e d conditions at the various school. PROMPTED by overcrowding at Hu- ron High, the plan transforms Clague Middle School, which combines sixth, seventh, and eighth grades into a unior high school. Over 400 ninth graders from Huron High are scheduled to be moved to Clague and four other junior highs while Clague's sixth graders are bused to An- gell and Bader elementary schools. Plan F was passed 6-3 by the school board's conservative majority which has controlled the nine-member body in re- cent years. ALTHOUGH the liberal and radical school board candidates say they favor a repeal of the controversial plan, they offer no immediate solution to the prob- lems of overcrowding. Most of the conservative candidates, however, support the proposal despite the furor it has caused among parents. Contending that the plan is "the best solution available," Republican-backed candidates Wendy Barhydt, Stanley Biel- at Clague School at a time when the by and Peter Wright all oppose repeal school was being received very enthu- of the proposal. siastically by the community," CONSERVATIVE George Kolasa, who is not backed by any party, believes Plan F is a "dead issue." "A decision was made; Plan F will stand,' Kolasa says, Liberal candidate Will Simpson charges that "Plan F was poorly conceived and executed." SIMPSON, along with Tanya Israel, has been endorsed by the "liberal cau- cus," a loose coalition of Democrats. "Such an approach to solving student housing problems should never be al- lowed to happen again," Simpson says. Astrid Beck, backed by the Human Rights Party (HRP), contends that "Plan F disrupted the middle school program IIRP WRITE-IN candidate Larry Mann stresses that the "board diun't bother to consider the alternatives." Mann, who is 14 years old. will not appear on the ballot because he is not a registered voter. Both HRP candidates say they would vote for repeal of Plan F. Liberals Eliot Chikofsky and Manfrod Schmidt also support repeal of the plan. Chikofsky says he favors Plan H, city Superintendent of Schools H a r r y Ho- ward's proposal, which "wouldn't have destroyed the North Campus community by sending its children to five different schools." See PLAN F, Page 10 A penguin's choice: Harvard or Oxford BALTIMORE UP) - With a grade aver- age in the high 90's and acceptances fron Harvard and Oxford, Marvin Stick- man was a standout at Southwestern High School. Even his picture in the school yearbook was unusual. Marvin is a purple and gold penguin. "IT STARTED last fall when some of the kids found a penguin doll in a trash truck," said Dennis Arenson, a biology teacher who helped his homeroom mas- termind the prank. "They salvaged it and brought it in as a mascot and grad- ually the idea came of infusing life into it. "We began with tentative efforts. Us- ing the name of Olivia Stickman, one of the girls called in and asked that her son Marvin be sent to the office because he had a medical appointment. He was pagted over the loudspeaker," Arenson recalled. Arenson said the next step was to get Marvin a schedule card through the school's computerized system. The teacher carried a phony card to several teachers, all of whom were in on the joke, and they signed it. Then things be- gan to snowball of their own accord. "THE OFFICE automatically prepar- ed a report card and the teachers who had written the schedule dutifully put in grades," Arenson said. Eventually the penguin was asked to make an appoint- ment to be measured for a cap and gown and had his picture taken for the yearbook. "With a little more finagling, we could have had him graduate," Arenson said. "The kids went overboard with Harvard and Oxford. The teacher explained that a group of students submitted applications to the two schools, complete with classroom records, in Marvin's name. Stickman was accepted at both institutions. THAT ALSO brought Marvin to coun- selor Gertrude Ilarris' attention. Aren- son said she "was alarmed that some- one so brilliant had escaped her notice for three years." John leathers, principats of the school, said he knew about the doll for some time but had ignored it because "prin- cipals have a sense of humor, too. I thought it was right funny, really." GEO selects five person bargaining unit By JEFF DAY A five-person bargaining t e a m was selected by the Graduate Employes Organization (GEO) last night to handle the group's upcoming contract negotia- tions with the University. tG EO will bring to thy negtimtitins de- mands for economic security, day care facilities for children of teaching fet lows, and a clause in the contract for- bidding a tuition increase as a result of the demands. GED WAS recently certified as the sole bargaining a g e n t for University graduate employes. Most of its members are teaching fellows. Last night's GEft steward council meet- ing selected ex-chairt vonian Sandra Sit- berstein and present chairman Mark. Ferrenz to sit on the bargaining team Also elected were Michele Hoiyman, Jack Wiledon and Ann.Bobroff The team reflects a wide span of views, from Ferrenz, who contended, "We should bargain for everything we get" to Wiledon, who said he is willing to settle for a low-key contract in hopes of getting more concessions later. SILBERSTEIN said she would rely on "the mandate" of the general member- ship before making any decisions. Also mentioned at the meeting were: -the possibility of taping all conver- sation with University negotiators be- cause the union was "a little angry" about University response to requests for information; -the possibility of affiliation wilhl an- other union; and -the possibility of setting up an agency shop AP Photo MARVIN STICKMAN, wearing the jaunty hat and scarf, has been accepted at both Harvard and Oxford for the fall term after completing a successful aca- demic career at Southwestern High School in Baltimore. Yeah, Marvin is a stuffed bird - a penguin to be exact. Evangelizing faith healer dueil to appear at Crisler By GORDON ATCHESON for the show, which shotild start artuuid normal. Night after night all across the coun- try, the woman in the flowing white gown performs to standing room only crowds who become mesmerized in her presence. While scores of others are turned away, the infirm - those confined to wheelchairs or lying almost lifeless on stretchers-always find the doors open. THEY ARE escorted to the front, and placed as close as possible to Kathryn Kuhlman-the woman known as "the miracle lady." Tomorrow Kuhlman, backed by a SMS- person choir, will evangelize at Crisler Arena as people from all over the state are expected to attend the faith healer's first visit to Michigan since 1972. Buses will begin arriving in the early morning 11 a.m. Kuhlman, who wears her red hair in a style that died 30 years ago, preaches a simple Christian gospel, yet the re- salts have amazed, baffled, and con- founded not only lay people but medical experts as well. Even she cannot rea.4 explain the wonders attributed to her, AFTER VISITING Kuhlman, an elder- ly woman suffering f r o m lymphatic leukemia was inexplicably cured, ac- cording to several doctors who examined her and found no trace of the disease. Several years ago, a seven-year-old boy who was never expected to hear properly because of a deteriorated ear- drum came to one of the faith healer's meetings. A week ia t e r physicians checked the boy and found no evidence of damage, His hearing had returned to The list goes on and on. But Kuhlman neither guarantees cures nor takes credit for those that occur during her prayer meetings. She claims all the "miracles" are the result of the Lord's power work- ing through her. "THERE NEVER was a more ordi- nary w o m a n than the one standing before you," the 50-ish Kuhlman usually tells her congregation. "I have nothing . . . nothing to do with those healings. I have only yielded my life to Him." Indeed Kuhlman's early life in no way foreshadowed her rise to starofdm and the success she now enjoys. A high school drop-out, she spent nearly 20 years as an itinerant preacher-a tent revivalist-in Idaho. See FAITH, Page 9