Rumors inside the news
... as compiled by The Daily staff
'Minority' white
students
A prospective University fresh-
man from Detroit, named Debbie,
received a letter last spring in-
forming her she was eligible to
take advantage of the University's
Opportunity Program. The letter
explained the program's counsel-
ling services and other benefits,
and invited her to a special OP
orientation.
Curious as to why she was in-
vited to such a program, she call-
ed OP offices here, They inform-
ed her that the program is de-
signed to help minority students
through their difficult adjust-
ment period to the University, and
to help them with any financial
difficulties,
Unfortunately, Debbie is an
upper-middle class white, who
just happened t attend a pre-
dominately black highs hoolr
But apparently, officials in the
OP office are not too concerned
about that, When Debbie told
them she was white and had no
financial problems, they told her
to remain in the program and
take advantage of its benefits,
which include free tutoring and
loan services.
The incident makes us wonder
whether the University is cheat-
ing its black enrollment quotas by
recruiting white students from
inner-city schools. Perhaps, as
far as the OP is concerned,
whether she's black or white, she's
helping them-fill their quotas.
Scramble for Mayor
The Democrats may have an
internal squabble on their hands
in next February's mayoral pri-
mary.
Word has it that Mayor Rob-
ert Harris, who denies he will
run for re-election, is groom-
ing Franz Mogdis to fill his seat.
Mogdis was recently appointed
to the city Planning Commis-
sion and was an unsuccessful
candidate for a Fifth WardE
City Council seat last spring.
And Robert Faber (D-2nd
Ward) may enter the contest.
Faber is rapidly beginning to
believe that he has a better
chance to be elected mayor,
than to try for re-election in
HRP's strongest ward.
Ted Beals may be the dark
horse anti-Harris candidate, and
Leroy Cappaert is considering
running for mayor as well.
For the Republicans, former
F o u r t h Ward Councilman
James Stephenson seems sure
to run. Other GOP hopefuls in-
clude Lloyd Fairbanks (R-Fifth
Ward), if the local bank he
works for doesn't object, and
Robert F o s t e r, unsuccessful
First Ward Council candidate
last spring.
Likely possibilities to run un-
der the banner of the Human
Rights Party Hippo are defeat-
ed school board candidate
Gretchen Wilson and long time
activist Steve Burghardt. First
Ward Councilman Jerry De
Grieck, generally acknowledged.
as HRP's most sellable candi-
date, continues to deny his
candidacy for mayor.
The mnedia vs. RPP
Detroit's Fifth Estate, an un-
derground newspaper published
by a group in the Wayne State
campus area, is launching a writ-
ten attack against Ann Arbor's
Rainbow People's Party. Seems
that the staffers at the Estate
are convinced the Rainbow ePo-
ple have sold out by supporting
Democratic ccndidates,
Meanwhile, there must have
been some red faces down on
Hill St. last week, after a story
in the Ann Arbor News described
how one of the Rainbow persons
signed up with the "Dare to He
Great" program, - a pyramid
sales, get-rich-quick scheme that
is being investigated in a num-
ber of states, including Michigan.
Bullard and HRP
Perry Bullard, candidate for
state representative from Ann
Arbor, has occasionally implied
during his campaign that he is
one of the founders of the Hu-
man Rights Party. HRP sourc-
es say the claim just isn't true.
Furthermore, they fear that
Bullard has plans to pack the
open HRP convention jn Au-
gust, in an attempt to stop HRP
from fielding a candidate
against him in November,
should he win the August pri-
mary,
Meanwhile, a local Demo-
cratic Party leader says that
McGovern headquarters in De-
troit was asked to help pack a
Detroit HRP convention. The
McGovern staffers refused.
Quaalude warning
Quaaludes, which have quickly
become one of Ann Arbor's most
popular street drugs, are one of
the most dangerous.
According to local doctors,
Quaaludes are addictive if taken
in large quantities over an ex-
tended period of time-and they
are difficult to kick.
Because there has been little
or no research done on the drug,
despite its presence on the mar-
ket for over seven years, doc-
tors at the University have been
treating Quaaludes addicts by
first addicting them to barbitu-
ates, and then stopping the sup-
ply of Quaaludes.
They do this because they
don't know how to withdraw peo-
ple from Quaaludes but they do
know how to withdraw from
barbs. The doctors are afraid
that if Quaalude addicts try to
withdraw "Cold Turkey" they
may go into convusions. Downer
freaks beware!
University 'Clutz'
Who's more personable than
University P. R. man Joel Ber-
ger?
Joel tells us that his family
treated him to a little figurine
for Father's Day labelled
"Clutz". Ever since Clutz came
to live on Joel's desk, his com-
rades enjoy phoning up and
asking for "The Office Clutz."
V i t h o u t embarrassment,
a humble Berger answers,
"Speaking."
Man of few words
Mayor Robert Harris is not
generally known around city hall
as a man of few words. However,
on occasion he can be amazing-
ly succinct,
According to sources close to
the council, such an occasion was
the last regular meeting of the
body. Council member Nancy
Weschler (HRP-2nd Ward), ac-
cording to their reports, scrib-
bled 4a note to the mayor asking
why she had not been consulted
on a substitute resolution he had
introduced,
The mayor's reply: "Kiss my
ass."
The next day, Harris offered
Weschler an apology.
Red, white and blue
Shirley Burgoyne, presently
running for circuit judge has
not chosen to emphasize her
love for the U.S. flag in this
campaign, although she has all
the credentials to do so.
Shirley's love for the flag
was so great that about a year
ago she and her family used to
march military style out to their
flagpole every morning for a
flag raising ceremony. At the
end of the ceremony they fired
off a one - gun salute which
upset some of their late sleep-
ing neighbors.
After a number of complaints
were registered at the City At-
torney's office. They contacted
her and informed her that she
was in violation of a city noise
ordinance and for discharging
a firearm within city limits.
At first, she maintained that
it was legal to discharge a fire-
arm involved in a ceremony, she
later agreed to alter her early
morning flag-raising ritual to
keep the neighborhood peace.
Pe £itc tan Iat,
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in at reprints.
FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1972 News Phone: 764-0552
fRALPH NADER
The public interest:
Federal purchasing
WASHINGTON - Should schools, colleges, hospitals and other
recipients of federal grants be allowed to purchase or use
needed equipment from the fedral govrnmnt's property supplies,
or should they be required to buy these items on the market at
much higher prices?
This is the question that has pitted the Nixon Administra-
tion and a powerful coalition of wholesalers and distributors,
,with annual sales of $300 billion, against an unorganized group
of federal grant recipients in the educational, health, research
and local governmental fields.
It all started' in 1967 when the Johnson Administration
initiated a policy permitting the General Services Administra-
tion, the government's buying agent, to open its supply sources
in fulfillment of grant programs. Also, GSA excess property
could be borrowed by these recipients, under the 1967 regula-
tion, The idea was to stretch the federal grant dollar, Profes-
sor Fairfax Leary claims it is saving taxpayers about $400 million
a year.
THERE ARE OTHER advantages to the GSA policy, which
the White House has now demanded be revoked. For example,
a southern city's department of educatiorr says the policy saves
on inventory tie-ups and paperwork and permits quicker pur-
chases at about 25 percent savings. Another state department
of education notes, not only savings of almost 44 percent, but
more realistic, competitive bids from private suppliers.
Rigged bids, collusion, and outright monopolies' have long
been associated with state and local government procurement
practices. Private hospitals and other research and educational
institutions which have to purchase diagnostic, therapeutic and
scientific instruments have had similar experiences. The com-
paratively tiny GSA regular and surplus supply outlet helps keep
corporate price gougers less greedy and a little more competi-
tive.
Items purchased by federal grantees from GSA surplus are
not fivolous; they include office supplies, school laboratory items,
cleaning materials and other essentials. From spark plugs to gar-
bage cans, some purchase prices have been as much as 50 to 65
percent lower.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WHOLESALERS, and
its allied trade groups, have been lobbying strenuously for the
past five years to overturn government attempts to devise gov-
ernment procurement policies that save taxpayers' money. In
1969 they succeeded, also through the White House, in blocking
GSA from, coordinating purchases with state and local gov-
ernments. GSA buys directly from the manufacturers. Most
state and local governments buy from wholesalers, paying over $6
billion a year in markups and commissions. This inefficient
procurement pattern often benefits campaign contributors and
corrupts state and local politics.
Today's Staff .,.
News:Jan Benedetti, Carla Rapoport, Ralph Vartabedian
Editorial Page: Alan Lenhoff
Photography technician: Denny Gainer
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