Futuristic urban ca' built here Stdenats' design for vehicle called safe, ecological By RALPH VARTABEDIAN While multi-millions dol- lar auto companies com- plain of the impossibility of meeting federal safety and pollution standards, a group of University engineering students has designed and built their own version of an ecologically sound and safe vehicle. Equipped with a Wankel ro- tary engine, a "drunk tester.' an impact absorbing front and rear end, a crash cage and numerous other items, the ve- hicle-Urban Car One Thousand -is now undergoing trial runs. The automobile will be en- tered in the Urban Vehicle De- sign Compe ti ti on (UVDC), which challenges engineering students to design and build from scratch a car that can help solve the urban transpor- tation crisis. The contest stresses safety and pollution control, but also takes note of parkability, fuel efficiency, handling, braking, a celeration, visibility. The com- *petition will culminate Aug. 6- 11 when all the entries will be evaluated at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Mich. Urban Car One Thousand is a two-passenger, rear-engie, rear drive vehicle. Its 35 horse- power Wankel engine-no larger than a ripe watermelon-gives it a top speed of about 50 miles per hour. A catalytic converter and thermal reactor will reduce en- gine emissions to levels accept- able not only to 1975 Federal Standards, but to the more stringent 1976 standards. On acceleration, the urban car is no hot rod, but according to several students participating in the project "it would give a Volkswagon a good race." The vehicle is armed with rubber bumpers that prevent damage in low velocity crashes. In addition, the front end has bowed metal support members as part of a unique system which theoretically can sustain a 30 mile per hour collision. It is a design totally unre- lated to work done by "big three" auto makers. Jim Meyer, one of the builders said, "They tthe big three) seem tothink if you spend three million dollars, you can do the job better. But you can't." Heading the University proj- ect are engineering senior Chris Theodore, team captain, and Engineering Prof. David Cole, faculty advisor. The urban car contest is sponsored by Student Competi- tions on Relevant Engineering (SCORE), a corporation formed to encourage project oriented education. UVDC and SCORE grew out of Clean Air Car Race of 1970. Benefit set for the Sun, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen will be back in town Friday night to do a benefit for the Ann Arbor Sun. The concert is scheduled for the Union Ballroom. Appearing along with the Commander will be the Boogie Brothers, and Stone School Road. Admission will be $2.00 with all proceeds going towards keep- ing the Sun shining on schedule twice a month. PaOcrefethree roI vq 1 1& iIaI& Wednesday, July 26, 1972 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN News Phone: 764-0552 Ahealthy caiididate? Democratic vice presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton talks with newsmen yesterday at George McGovern's retreat at Sylvan Lake Lodge in South Dakota. It was disclosed that Eagleton was hospitalized in 1966 for nervous exhaustion and fatigue. ie said yesterday, however, that he has enjoyed good health since then. WHERE 'SFAIRBANKS? Republicans lead in Council absenteeism Qua ng 'Tn f 'it rages, war foes seek pullout bill South Vietnamese paratroopers continted inching their way towards Quang Tri's 19th century Citadel last night facing fierce lesistance from remaining Communist units. Heavy fighting also swirled on the edges of Quang Tri City, farther south toward Hue behind the 20,000-man South Vietnamese counteroffensive and in the Que Son Valley south of Da Nang. The U.S. Command sent 75 B-52 bombers into action, Concentrating the entire strike force on the northern front, they hit Communist positions with nearly 2,000 tons of explosives Three South Vietnamese positions guarding the west- ern approaches to Hue were struck with 3,300 routids of shellfire and by infantry assaults. Thieti Saigon command claim- ed in a communique that 229 North Vietnamese troops wern killed in daylong fighting yes- terday from Quang Tri to Que r i Son. Preliminary reports from the Saigon command said 15 gorniint troops were killed. 40 wounded and five missing. MicLawhile. in Washington at- t.ipts continued in both the House and the Senate to gain By JAN ENEDETTI passage for anti-war amend- Over the last decade or two S directive for withdrawal of iUtroirwita nhae incacse all U. S. forces from fIdo- while blacks have become less chiiia by Oct. 1 in return for re- trusting in their attitude to- lease of war prisoners and a wrdstwgiter cease-fire was approved by the wards whites. House Armed Services Commit- These trends, among others, tee. are highlighted in the results of The directive was written a recently completed study of into a $2.1-billion foreign aid social change in the metropoli- bill by a vote of 18 to 17. The tan Detroit area conducted by committee previously had en- the University's Detroit Area dorsed President Nixon's of- Study. fer for U. S. withdrawal four The area study has surveyed months after a total Indochina Detroit residents since 1951 on cease-fire. racial attitudes, child rearing The House committee's action practices, life style and atti- came a day after the Senate tudes. approved an end - the - war Sociology Prof. Otis Dudley amendment and then killed it. Duncan, however, has shifted Senate supporters vowed they the focus of the surveys last would try again. year by asking over 1500 De- Sen. Edward Brooke, R-Mass., troiters 200 questions from past reoffered the amendment yes- studies. terday to a bill authorizing "By comparing the 1971 re- $20.5 billion for military wea- sponses with those of ten to pons. But he did not indicate twenty years ago, the research- when he and others would try to ers can discover the change- get a vote on it. or lack of change -- occurring The House panel cut $1.62 in American society," Duncan million from President Nixon's says. $2.29 billion request for mili- Though understanding of the tary aid. implications of the findings will The new war-halt language, take time, the raw data shows introduced by Rep. Lee Hamil- some possibly significant shifts ton, D-Ind., would direct a halt in behavior and attitudes. of all U. S. military action in Since "the aim was to cover and over Indochina by Oct. 1 many different topics, the num- with three conditions, her of questions was limited. So They are return of U. S. pri- the amount of information on soners, and accounting by Ha- reasons behind the responses not of GIs missing in action and will be limited," says Duncan. "a cease-fire between the Unit- Some of the areas of investi- ed States and North Vietnam gation and the findings include: and those allied with North -Racial attitudes. A rising Vietnam to the extent necessary level of acceptance by white to achieve safe withdrawal of Detroiters of blacks is appar- such remaining forces." ently reflected in three studies On Monday night the Senate since 1956. The percentage of tacked its amendment on a persons who approve of racially $1.8 billion military foreign aid mixed schools increased from 63 authorization bill by a 50 to 45 to 80 per cent, while the pro- vote and then defeated the portion who agreed that a whole bill 48 to 42. See SOCIAL, Page 7 By CHRIS PARKS Ever wonder what goes on at those long boring City Council sessions? So does Council mem- ber Lloyd Fairbanks (R-5th Ward) who has missed nearly a third of all Council sessions since he was re-elected in April. A Daily survey of Council at- tendance in since April 'gives Fairbanks the booby prize as the most absent Council mem- ber, As leader of his party, Fair- banks seems to have been some- what of a trend setter as Re- publicans swept the field in the Hookey Sweepstakes taking first, second, third and fourth places. Although he managed to make all but one of the 21 ses- sions surveyed, Council mem- ber Nelson Meade (D-3rd Ward) had some trouble getting there on time. Meade, the most tardy of all Council members was late 24 per cent of the time, Although most consistently late, Meade didn't miss nearly as much as John McCormick (R-5th Ward) who, although late to only three meetings, managed to rack up 142 tardy minutes as opposed to 47 for Meade. The most punctual party on Council was the Human Rights Party (HRP) whose two repre- sentatives logged only one tar- diness totalling nine minutes. The GOP, the most absent party, was also the latest, log- ging 182 tardy minutes. Best overall, in both attend- ance and punctuality were Council members Nancy Wesch- ler (HRP-2nd Ward) Robert Faber (D-2nd Ward), and Rich- ard Hadler (R-4th Ward) who had only one absence each and no late appearances. According to City Clerk Har- old Saunders, who compiles council minutes and records. attendance at Council is "rath- er high" in general. Worst attendance tends to be at special and working sessions which are often devoted to long technical hearings. Attendance is also a seasonal thing, according to Saunders. In the late summer months, he says, council attendance gen- erally begins to drop as the Council members head off for vacations.