Page Fight
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
1974
State unit asks Smeekens
censure for fund misuse
LANSING (UPI) - A special
State House investigative com-
mittee yesterday unanimously
urged the full House to censure
State Rep. John Smeekens (R-
Coldwater) for misuse of state
funds.
The action came on a 6-0 vote
about five hours after Smeekens
admitted in testimony before
the committee that he had stb-
mitted inaccurate vouchers for
travel expenses incurred while
allegedly on state business.
The resolution adopted by t-e
committee leaves up to the
House itself the question of
whether Smeekens should be ex-
pelled, but urged that he be
forced to repay the state up-
wards of $800 in expenses he
was reimbursed for.
The censure recommendation
must still be considered by
Smeekens' House colleagues be-
fore it can be implemented. The
legislature is on summer recess
and not scheduled to reconvene
until Sept. 17.
The committee will continue
FEiD.AC teMOICAT R AWOO
TDAE4 TO J.C. PENNEY 0769-8780. 1-94 & S.STATE. ANN ARBOR
its deliberations into conflict of
interest charges stemming frotn
Smeekens' secret ties to the
Hillsdale Foundry. However, it
was anxious to get on reco'd
with some positive action before
Tuesday's primary electian.
If censured by the House,
Smeekens would be reprimand-
ed for his misdeeds and, ac-
cording to Committee Chairman
Thomas Guastello (R-Sterling
Heights), a penalty such as for-
feiture of his salary or even
his expulsion could be assessed.
Smeekens appeared before the
committee for the first time
yesterday morning, but refused
to make an afternoon appear-
ance on the advice of his attor-
ney, who chastized members
for not using "fair procedure"
in their probe.
Forcs that are increaeirg t!
isolation of managetert per-
sons from what is really hap-
pening may be among the great-
our economic and social sys-
est threats to survival of
tem, says Philip Lesly in "The
People Factor: Managing t h e
Human Climate." Isolated ex-
ecutives, trained to be t o it h
minded, tend to become less
and less able to communicate
with those unlike themselves.
Be carefulwith fire.
Remember: there are babes
in theWoods.
And those baby fawns, rabbits, Follow all the rules of safety and
squirrels and trees need a safe, happy caution-just like any other place where
home. They need a place where they can there are children at play.
grow up strong and healthy.
Like babes everywhere.
So, please, be careful with fire when
you're in the forest.
Awaiting an answer
A Huntsville State Prison inmate peers from his window as
negotiations entered the eighth day between Texas prison
officials and Fred Carrasco. Carrasco, an inmate, is hold-
ing 13 hostages in an attempt to win his freedom. Until a
solution is reached, all inmates are confined to their cell
blocks and work facilities and exercise have been halted.
B mhoay require
'U' to show files
(Continued from Page 2)
ing that he wanted "to examine
the text" of the bill more close-
ly before making a statement.
DAANE also declined com-
ment on whether the measure
would require the Board of Re-
gents to approve a new set of
rules on student access to re-
cords.
The present Regents' policy,
adopted last summer, is vague
at crucial point and leaves in-
terpretation and enforcement
up to the colleges.
Counselors in all colleges now
have exclusive access to the
student files, although faculty
members may request interpre-
tations of the records. Similar-
ly, students may request sum-
maries of the material.
University policy strictly for-
bids furnishing any confidential
student information to outside
groups, employes or agencies.
Regent Gertrude Huebner (R-
Livonia) said the law "could
make big problems in law and
medicine," but argued that "it
will be worth all the book-
keeping difficulties, even if the
bill only protects the rights of
just three' or four students."
OPPONENTS OF thesmeasure
argue that much of the informa-
tion in the records was recorded
without the knowledge that stu-
dents would later see them and
that opening the files would
therefore violate scounselors'
rights and would inhibit- honest
remarks in the future..-
However, although students'
files are now kept secret by all
counseling offices, the Univer-
sity-most notably the literary
(LSA) college-has been moving
slowly in the direction of more
"open access" to student rec-
ords.
LSA was the first and, so far,
only school to take such action.
All "backer cards" filled out
since September 1972 include
a warning that the comments
"may ultimately be available
to the student."
Eugene Nissen, director of the
LSA Office of Academic Actions,
said that "we don't anticipate
any trouble with the rules since
we've already taken steps to-
wards an open system."
if
YOU
see
news
ha ppen
call
76-DAILY1
ww ws5ae55o the P5*mc pb
.